


Old Wounds

by ZedLotus



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, Coming of Age, Drama, Explicit Language, Family, Het and Slash, Homophobic Language, Inspired by More Than Human, Multi, Racist Language, Romance, Sex, Sexuality, Slow Burn, Trauma, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:21:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 100,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24944551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZedLotus/pseuds/ZedLotus
Summary: Brick is hiding. Blossom is obsessed. Bunny is scared. Bear is silent. Bubbles is confused. Boomer is haunted. Buttercup is adamant. Butch is addicted. Somehow, rampaging monsters are the least of their worries."Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word" - George R. R Martin.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	1. I'ts Been A While

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Zed here. So long story short, I'm primarily a ff.net writer but some of my friends have been pestering me to equally propagate my story here on A03. So, here I am lol.  
> This is my first attempt at a PPG fic. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!  
> Constructive criticism is welcome.  
> P.S: I've already posted 3 chapters on ff.net and I'm nearly done with the fourth. So I'll be transferring them here at once. But note; Updates will be slow. A lot of review and editing goes into each chapter release and the chapters are fairly long. Please bare with me.  
> Gratias Tibi :)

**I - It's Been A While \- ** _Zed_

"This sucks," Buttercup grumbled, lifting up the frying pan while simultaneously scrambling the last of the eggs in it.

"We know you don't want to go back to school Buttercup, you state it _incessantly_ ," Blossom said with visible ire at Buttercup's persistent bellyaching. The redhead seemed rather agitated, constantly glancing at her watch without paying much attention as her sister rationed eggs into her plate.

"Don't you think dad's been overworking lately?" Bubbles said with a worried frown, looking at the empty chair that the Professor would normally be occupying beside her.

"He's fine Bubbles, the city's security protocol needs to be strengthened. You know if he had a choice he would spend more time with us," Blossom replied, reaching out over the table to rub her sister's arm soothingly.

"Besides, we're not kids anymore. We don't need dad to hold our hands and walk us to school every morning." Buttercup added bitterly, but she seemed more irritated with the pan than Bubbles.

"Your candor outweighs your empathy once again." Blossom chided with a sarcastic undertone, to which Buttercup shrugged nonchalantly.

The sister who'd been scolded just scraped the last of the eggs into the last plate where it would be welcomed, shoving the pan in the sink before taking her place beside Bubbles.

"You could have at least put in effort with the toast," Blossom said, her face scrunching as she lifted a slice of something that was a little too black to even be identified as bread. This only highlighted Buttercup's obviously sour mood, as she was more than competent in the arts of Meal Making.

"Christ! Get off my dick Blossom!" Buttercup exclaimed.

"Language!"

Bubbles rolled her eyes at her sisters' antics, it was basically their morning routine to fight at breakfast. She looked at the chair beside Blossom, another empty chair, her brows knit in confusion as she turned to face the door that led to stairs, and up to the girls' rooms.

As they had gotten older and more... distinctive as individuals, sharing a room had ultimately proved to be problematic. So upon moving to their new home, still within the suburbs, the professor had made sure the girls got their personal space, with three rooms available to them.

Blossom and Bubbles ended up getting rooms to themselves, the last—and biggest—room went to their sisters.

Due to to expertly tuning out her squabbling sisters, she was able to pick up on the soft thumping descending the stairs.

Briskly, a figure turned in through the kitchen door, adjusting her belt before patting the slithered edges of her naturally voluminous afro, which was held up in her signature two puffy buns.

Bubbles beamed. "You almost drown in the shower or something?" She teased.

The newest arrival grinned back at Bubbles. "Even when you have enhanced genes—" she paused as she reached the fridge, "—getting _this_ to look good still requires a lot of work." She stated, gesturing towards her congenial updo for emphasis.

She then fetched a carton of orange juice from said fridge and grabbed a glass from the cabinet above, before turning to face the squabble that had become indigenous with their breakfasts.

"Excuse my lack of excitement at waking up by six-thirty to prepare to return to the soul sucking loop called _school_ ," Buttercup spat.

"Really now? You often seem excited having to wake up at six o'clock to catch swimming practice on the weekends," Blossom retorted just as steely.

"Somehow, I think swimming will ultimately prove more useful than Pythagoras's theorem or some shit," Buttercup countered, scoffing out the last two words.

"Watch your language!" Blossom reiterated in exasperation and turned to the fridge. "Bunny, help me out here."

The brown caramel toned girl rose her hands in jocular surrender, lightly licking some juice off her lips, "I couldn't get paid enough to come in-between you guys,"

"Really?" Bubbles asked.

"Actually—" Bunny said, pursing her lips in thought, "—twenty bucks'll do it" she finished, glancing expectantly at Blossom with an open palm.

The pink eyed girl gave her a dry look, punctuating it with a "Really?"

"What? I need a new flannel."

"It's seven-forty ladies," Bubbles announced, standing with her backpack. "We have to get going," she said as she began clearing the table, regardless of whether the plates were empty or not.

Blossom and Buttercup didn't seem that intent on actually eating anyway.

The latter was up after Bubbles, already making her way towards the front door.

"She can be so needlessly _difficult_ sometimes!" Blossom blatted, grabbing her bag and going into a silent litany of complaints about Buttercup's attitude before exiting the kitchen herself.

Bunny stood, leaning against the island, calmly sipping on her orange juice as Bubbles emerged beside her, staring at the door their sisters had just walked through.

"We should definitely get them some counseling," Bubbles said.

"No therapist with any sense of self-preservation would even go near them." Bunny replied, shaking her head humorously.

* * *

The city looked beautiful as it glistened under the summer golden carpet that enveloped it, Blossom thought as she and her sisters flew over it, hastily descending onto Townsville High's car park.

There was a mass of students filing into the building, chattering and socializing blissfully. "There's Robin!" Bubbles announced to her sisters, beaming as said girl caught sight of them, tapping an oblivious Mike and pointing upwards.

The girls landed just centimeters away from the couple. "Ahhh!" Bubbles and Robin voraciously shrieked in unison as they ran to envelop each other in a tight embrace.

"You will _not_ believe what happened at Ashley's party," Robin squealed, leaning back enough to look at Bubbles while the hug remained in place.

"Bianca texted but she was sooo vague. You _have_ to give me the deets," Bubbles replied with equal enthusiasm.

Mike laughed with an amused shake of his head, stepping around his gossiping girlfriend and Bubbles, since of-course, there were three other Powerpuffs just standing behind them.

"Hey Mike," Blossom greeted with an affable smile.

"You guys think I have anything to worry about?" He asked, jabbing a thumb at Robin and Bubbles who had simply gone on prattling like nobody else was present.

"Well, Bubbles does have the whole superpowers thing going for her. She has better hair too, so you're going to have to step up your game," Bunny said with an uncomic nod, eliciting a genuine cackle from Mike.

Buttercup already looked bored out of her mind, and she hadn't even entered the school building. She surveyed the passing crowd, trying to locate a familiar brunette.

Bubbles and Robin finally came to a conversational halt as the latter diverted her attention to the others, she hugged three of them equally, pausing at Buttercup, her eyes locking on her hair.

"I _love_ your hair BC." She complimented with a wide smile. The object of praise mumbled a thanks, mindlessly finger-combing her chin length raven hair that was embellished with green tips.

A random student walked past them then, he looked around their age or possibly even older, and Blossom noted how he was completely unrecognizable. "Seems like there's quite a few new students this year."

As though the universe had been patiently waiting for her to utter those specific words, blaring car horns captured their attention, as well as that of most of the populace currently still outside the building.

"Whoa! Look at those _sweet_ rides bro." Another random said, slapping his friend's shoulder as he pointed with an awed expression.

The group followed his gaze, their eyes landing on the cars that drove up into the parking area. _Mustangs_ , Buttercup discerned the instant they drew nearer. One was a standard black 1965 vintage model, toned with a tint of dark purple, the other was a gratifying red but was a sports model, a Mustang GT Fastback to be specific.

"Damn," Buttercup muttered at the second one, that model was _quite_ expensive.

At this point, every student who had seen the cars drive in waited with ardent curiosity to see the passengers step out.

They'd coincidentally parked beside each other, and even more outlandishly, all four front doors were pushed open almost simultaneously. When the occupants stepped out, making their presence known, there was an _immediate_ slew of whispers and indistinct chatter, as well as a collective gasp from the girls.

Blossom's breath hitched in her throat. Her muscles tense, in unison with her sisters. Buttercup's expression was somewhere between shock and aggravation. Bubbles externalized only the former. Bunny though, her hands suddenly went limp at her sides, her face blank, she hadn't even adopted a mild stance of prudence like her sisters.

Brick slammed the driver's door of the red mustang closed, Butch slammed the passenger seat right after him. Boomer slammed the passenger door of the black one, stuffing his hands into his pockets before he took on a horrified expression.

"Aw shit! I forgot my lunch money," his eyes shifted to his brother across him who'd just locked the car. "Bear, can I get like, ten bucks?"

Bear stuffed his keys in his back pocket, he turned to Boomer, listlessly itching at the cluster of dreaded locks held up on his head, long enough to obey gravity.

"Sure." He answered monotonously.

The brothers walked towards the school's front doors, totally disinterested in the number of eyes that furtively followed them as they moved, headed by Brick.

That complacence wasn't deterred even as they approached the girls. "What are you doing here?" Blossom asked, her voice level as Brick approached her.

He didn't even spare her a glance as he strode past her, completely ignoring her question. Buttercup's scowl deepened.

In a flash of green she was right in-front of Brick, glowering viciously at him. "Maybe you didn't hear the question _cap boy._ What. The **_fuck_** _._ Are you doing here?" She asked, her eyes glowing threateningly.

Brick had come to a halt, and as a result so had his brothers. All plans the students surrounding them had to get to their lockers and prepare for first period were completely abandoned, they were all intently focused on the scene unfolding in the middle of the car park now.

"Relax Buttercup," Blossom ordered as she appeared by her side, a reproachful look on her face. Buttercup glanced at her, seemingly ready to argue, but she stayed quiet, averting her gaze back to the boy in-front of her.

Blossom turned to Brick just as Butch stepped up beside him, resting his elbow on Brick's shoulder as he stared down at the girls with an amused smirk.

"You ladies are just as enthusiastic as I remember," he said, diverting his eyes to Bunny. "Damn, did _you_ age well." He finished, his eyes taking on an almost predatory glister as he looked her up and down.

Blossom had to be quick to grab Buttercup's arm before she could swing it forward. Butch melodramatically stepped backwards, raising his arms in mock capitulation, evident by the stifled snigger that followed.

Bunny hadn't even looked at him, her focus was elsewhere. Boomer and Bear hadn't so much as batted an eye at the exchange ongoing between her sisters and their brothers, and for reasons unknown to her, she couldn't take her eyes off the latter.

He stood with his hands pocketed into his ripped jeans. He hadn't even flinched in her direction, his expression was one of sheer nonchalance.

Bubbles looked from her sisters to the boys, her eyes momentarily landing on Boomer, who, rather awkwardly, smiled amicably at her.

"Answer me," Blossom demanded once she'd gotten Buttercup to settle, physically anyway. If looks could kill, Butch would have been six feet under.

Brick stared her down, the edge of his mouth curving in indignation. He bent down just enough to look her dead in the eyes. She hated how she nearly jolted at this action. He opened his mouth and pointedly said...

" _Piss_ off Puff, I don't have to explain myself to you."

Any underlying fret within Blossom quickly morphed into utter rage. How—how _dare_ he! The sheer _impudence_.

She took a step forward, matching his glare head on. "You don't just show up to _my_ school unannounced and think I'll let you just stroll in through the front doors,"

"Oh yeah? On what ground?" He rose a brow, his tone dripping with condescension.

Blossom gritted her teeth and intensified her glare, Brick replied in kind.

"You guys know we've got like, seven minutes before first period right?" Boomer said in a tone that really contrasted the current atmosphere.

"He's right," Robin said for the first time since the boys arrived, she was still by Mike's side, both had felt the moment too... personal to give any input. "We should get to class," she appealed to the girls.

"I don't fucking trust these assholes," Buttercup spat, clenching her fists in an effort to avoid slugging that stupid grin off Butch's face.

"We're fresh out of fucks to give honey. Sorry." Butch shrugged.

Buttercup opted to throw constraint out the window as her right fist glowed in preparation to shoot forward. Suddenly, her balance was tipped as someone bumped into her.

She staggered back lightly, watching in disbelief as Bear walked past her, past all of them. They all turned to his retreating form, he had seemingly grown jaded of their bickering and had decided to leave them to it.

"Hey!" Buttercup yelled after him to no avail. She growled, already, they were already getting under her _fucking skin_.

Almost comically, Boomer strode past her then, turning towards his siblings and the girls as he jogged to catch up to Bear. "Six minutes now guys. Wait up man!"

Brick stood straight and walked around Blossom to follow his brothers. He paused, turning enough to look into those disoriented pink orbs of hers. "Simmer down, we're not exactly 'over the moon' to be here either." He said with audible honesty, then he was off as well.

Blossom could only glare.

"Well, this was fun," Butch said with a laugh as he opted to float over to the doors instead, he threw one last glance at Bunny, smiling suggestively and saying "Dig the piercing." And in a flash he was landing behind Brick at the doors, a path having been cleared for them by the students who were everything from perplexed to frightened.

Only then was Bunny's attention diverted as she scrunched her face in disgust, suddenly conscious of her septum.

"Wow..." came Bubbles' voice finally, but that was all she could manage.

"What _are_ they doing in Townsville though?" Mike asked in genuine curiosity.

"I doubt any of us can answer that baby." Robin replied, just now feeling the shock flowing out of her body.

Bunny stepped up beside Blossom, Bubbles came up behind a still visibly livid Buttercup.

"What are we going to do?" Bunny asked the question on all their minds.

"Watch them," Blossom answered without missing a beat.

"I'd prefer if we pound their fucki—"

"Language!" Blossom reprimanded Buttercup before she could finish that thought. She bit her back her retort and grunted.

"We _watch_ them. For now." She repeated firmly, her sisters' silence represented their affirmation, as they stared at the doors that students had resumed piling into, with more urgency as they were all running late now.

Oddly, they noted a single student pushing his way in the opposite direction, desperate to get to the car park. His struggle proved successful and he emerged at the bottom of the front steps, revealing himself to be none other than Mitch.

He looked around frantically before his eyes landed on the girls standing with Mike and Robin. He suddenly grabbed two full fists of his hair in frustration and moaned exaggeratedly.

"Aw _fuck_ , I missed it!"

* * *

John gathered his belongings in his suitcase, unconsciously letting out a yawn. He chuckled, shaking his head in admonishment of his laziness.

Even a man of his humble nature wouldn't deny appreciating the privileges that came with his promotion to Associate Laboratory Director of the Energy Sciences division. He smiled satisfactorily at the title, that wasn't him being materialistic, he was simply him being proud of his duly deserved accomplishment.

He didn't need to be present at the general city lab save for inspections. He did most his work from home, the incontestably preferred alternative for working in this day and age.

He clipped his suitcase closed as he locked his office door behind him, humming melodically. He greeted a few of his subordinates on his way down the hall, he spun to make a left turn but was suddenly, and briskly, pulled straight ahead by another man in a lab coat.

"John! Great to see you pal, you barely drop in here anymore," greeted a man who was roughly John's height with a clean shaved head, contrasted with a thick, kempt beard.

John laughed in good nature, trying and failing to shift himself out of the man's one armed embrace. "How are you Frank?" He greeted with a smile regardless.

Frank was a ball of brewing energy, his sonorous voice complimented that. Like John, he was an Associate Laboratory Director, of the Computing Sciences division, they'd been working together for over six years.

Given his coltish exterior, one wouldn't peg Frank as one with scientific aptitude, but he had said trait in abundance.

"Happy now that Sandra's back at home," Frank answered with a bawdy smirk, to which John shook his head in amusement, a laugh escaping his cords despite himself. "How are your four superstars?"

"What can I tell you, they're teenagers," John answered, managing to sound fatigued at the mere _thought_ of raising four teenage girls.

"Don't I know it, they're a handful ordinarily and you've got _four_ of 'em, with superpowers," Frank cackled teasingly while consciously palming comforting circles on John's back.

"Well, I _was_ actually planning to capitalize on some alone time before they get back from school though. Why are you taking me to Richard's office?" John asked, his confusion growing as he realized they were nearing the Deputy Director's office. Richard Mcpherson had been the D.D for Operations since the city lab was built.

Had been.

"You haven't heard? We got a new D.D, Richard retired," Frank informed, throwing a thumbs up to a passing subordinate.

"Richard retired? How was I unaware of this?" John asked with a puzzling look.

"The news was sudden, I only found out yesterday myself. Apparently he'd already spoken to the L.D, got a letter of approval weeks ago," Frank answered, the door to Richard's apparent former office now visible.

"I see, he must have delayed the announcement because the board were in search of a replacement" John figured, pursing his lips in thought.

He was so preoccupied with his musing that he hadn't even read the new name on the sign plate of the door before stepping in after Frank had opened it.

It turned out they were late, every other A.L.D was already present.

"Ah, that makes six, this is all of you then, yes?"

John froze at the recognition of that voice. Frank had been directly in-front of him so his vision to the source of said voice was completely obscured.

 _No_ , he instantly told himself. It was impossible, she wasn't in Townsville. Hell, last he checked she wasn't even in the United States, there was no plausibility that she would just spontaneously emerge, in this manner as well...

One of his colleagues stepped aside kindly as John halted in the unorganized circle around who was obviously the new Deputy Director. He slotted in and smiled as thankfully as he could without revealing his anxiousness, getting an unobstructed view that cleared his doubts.

She looked different, he thought. Her milk chocolate skin was as radiating as he remembered, her hair was short and natural, dyed a luscious silver. She was clad in an accentuating grey business suit over a white blouse and an equally grey skirt. Her three inch heels brought her five inches below John's six-foot-two figure.

"Well then," she said, adjusting her glasses. "I'm Olivia Venus. I will be assuming the role of Deputy Director for Operations in wake of professor McPherson's resignation."

 _How?_ John found himself thinking. How was she here? _Why_ was she here?

"I was told to make this announcement as formal as possible, so forgive me for the lack of fireworks." Olivia jested, receiving a round of laughs in return.

She monologued for a couple of minutes and John tried desperately to maintain his composure, agitated at the fact that he could not even hold her gaze when it landed on him.

"I'm told professor McPherson had quite a lot of projects under supervision. On that note, I'd like to get to work immediately, I'm excited to work with you all." She finished with an amiable smile as the scientists began to file out of the room.

John's feet remained rooted where he stood, Frank, who stood beside him grabbed his shoulder, raising a brow at John's expression. "John, what's wrong?" He asked.

John didn't even face him. Frank followed his line of sight and saw it landed directly on Olivia. Who was staring back at John featurelessly.

Frank looked between them. "Is it safe to assume you know each other?"

"Frank, is it?" Olivia suddenly inquired, Frank nodded. "Kindly give Professor Utonium and I the room," she requested with a smile in his direction.

Frank blinked, taking one last look at John before nodding. "Alright." He said and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Then there were two. John continued to stare. Olivia continued to stare back, she soon grew tired of the silence however.

"You look good," she said, turning as she walked around her desk.

"What are—what are you doing here?" John asked, sheer astonishment still etched on his face.

"What does it look like? Paperwork." She answered, straightening out the pile of files on her desk.

"I don't understand, why'd you come back?" He asked again, determined to stay on topic.

"Well I don't know if you've heard, but Canadian cold is a growing epidemic. Besides, the bread here in Townsville is unma—"

"Don't be _flippant_ Liv!" John seethed, and in a swift motion his hands were on her table and his suitcase was on the floor.

The rapid progression caught Olivia by surprise as she looked up at him—bent over her table—in perturbation.

He calmed down at her expression, recoiling into an upright stance and taking his hands off her table.

"I'm sorry," he apologized genuinely, shocked by his outburst himself.

"It's fine." She assured, leaning back into her seat and placing her arms on her lap.

A few moments of silence passed. She gazed at him intently, patiently waiting for him to wind down.

He picked up his suitcase and she proceeded. "I simply got a promotion John, it was a good opportunity for me—" she paused. "—and for my boys."

John could do nothing but blink, he stuttered then clamped his mouth shut. Frustrated that he was struggling to form a simple sentence, all the while Olivia simply stared at him.

"Your boys?" He finally managed, his tone indiscernible.

"Yes," she replied bluntly. "My boys. Coming back here will be good for them. It's important to find meaning in your origin. And this city, well, this is their origin."

She glanced towards John's tottering hand, he took notice of this and fisted his hand instantly. She looked back up at him.

"Not all of them," he suddenly said.

"Excuse me?"

"Not all your boys," he said, the birse in his voice unmissable.

"Indeed. Regardless, it would help him better understand... a lot of things. Especially with aid from your girls, don't you thi—"

"Keep them _away_ from my daughters!" John erupted again, pointing at Olivia with his free hand.

"Neither you nor I have the power to make that decision." She replied without missing a beat, then retrieved one of the files on her desk.

John clenched his jaw, he wanted to say something, but nothing materialized, a myriad of sentences swam around in his head but he couldn't get any of them to shore. Seeing her here after _everything_ , and she was acting so nonchalant, so dismissive, so...

"John." Her voice shook him from his rumination and he looked at her, unable to understand why he instantly mellowed at her innocent expression.

"We left things on a, complicated note. But that's no reason for hostility, we've talked about all we need to, unless we haven't?" Olivia said, raising a brow in question.

John swallowed, letting his head fall so he could pore over the carpeted floor. She was right, there was no reason for him to be angry, he had no right, he was just... honestly he didn't even know why he was feeling so unnerved in her presence.

He internally scoffed in response. He knew exactly why, but it didn't matter.

"I'm sorry, again," he said.

"I know. We've both done far more apologizing than necessary. I'd rather we start anew," Olivia offered, her position on her seat unaltered.

"Yes," John said, flicking his eyes into space, then back at her. "I'd like that."

Olivia smiled. "Okay then," she noticed him space out once again and her smile faltered slightly. "This will naturally take a little getting used to John."

"For us? Or for the children?" John replied instantly, Olivia stared, then sighed.

"They're teenagers, I expect they'll be more dramatic about it."

John nodded in concurrence, still gazing into nothingness. He suddenly exhaled before facing her again, "I'll leave you to your work Liv."

He turned and made his way to the door. He was already halfway out before she called after him and he looked over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"I think I'd prefer you to call me 'Boss' while in the office." She smirked.

It was slow, hesitant, but a smile crept up to John's face before he closed the door shut.

* * *

By the time the Girls found their way into the halls the Boys were nowhere to be seen, leaving only a string of murmurs in their wake.

Buttercup grumped, still in the process of calming her contempt. "Just what I fucking need, like we don't have enough idiots running around here."

Mitch laughed beside her, "Damn, two thousand views already," he said, eyes glued to his phone screen.

"What?" Buttercup inquired.

"Someone posted the shit online." He answered with a sneer, angling his phone so she could see the screen. Buttercup watched the confrontation that had occurred not five minutes ago replay, she scoffed and turned away, uninterested.

"Should we be worried about that being online?" Bubbles wondered, marginally floating to view the video over Mitch's shoulder.

"Probably not, it likely won't escalate beyond city gossip." Bunny answered, clutching her tote. Her eyes flickered to Blossom, who was openly surveying the busy hall. No doubt she'd been disoriented by the Boys' spontaneous arrival, she, along with her sisters and most likely the rest of Townsville, hadn't expected them to return, ever. The girls had furtively tried to maintain surveillance on them ever since the court appeal, but they'd vanished after that. The Girls foraged for them for weeks upon weeks, even extending their search beyond Townsville, but still they found nothing.

It wasn't until just last year, during Ms. Bellum's official inauguration ceremony as Mayor, that the Girls got a location, a package sent from British Columbia, Canada.

It had been from Olivia Venus, congratulating Ms. Bellum on winning the election. The scenario had been burned in Blossom's memory to this day, with her and Bunny standing in Ms Bellum's office as said Mayor sat in her chair, elbows propped up on the desk as she studied the package cautiously. The professor was standing in-front of them, unable to mask his unease. It had simply turned out to be a ball gown, a stunning midnight blue in-fact, but of-course that was not the primary issue of concern.

They couldn't have been certain that Olivia and the Boys had been situated in Canada at the time, but Blossom was willing to acknowledge the plausibility and had suggested the girls go confirm it. To her surprise, she had immediately been dismissed by Ms Bellum, who reminded all three Utonium's in the room that Olivia was no criminal, and neither were the Boys any longer. So any and all attempts to inspect them would be unwarranted, and could back-fire legally.

This truth had somewhat frustrated Blossom, who'd tried to re-appeal her proposition to Ms Bellum who just shut it down once more.

Now, they were here, in Townsville, in their _school_. And Blossom didn't like it, not one bit. Whatever it was they were up to, it wouldn't get past her.

Bunny peeled her eyes away from Blossom, keeping pace as Buttercup and Mitch diverted to head to their class, followed shortly by Bubbles and Mike. She stared straight ahead, into thin air, the crowds that navigated past her nothing but a blur as she sunk into her head.

They were back, the Rowdyruff Boys were back. If she really thought about it—and she had, profusely—that was all they were to her, The Rowdyruff Boys. Unlike her sisters, she hadn't any advertence on their person, she didn't know who they were. She hadn't fought them repeatedly, or had any variant of a conversation with any of them. Her first and—until today—only encounter with them had been the day her and her sisters had successfully defeated and detained them, a feat they hadn't been able to accomplish until she provided the numerical advantage that day.

She remembered her sisters being jubilant at their victory, especially Buttercup. It seemed as though the Boys had been their most formidable and persistent enemies from what they'd told her. Soon though, they naturally stopped talking about it and went back to their lives as per usual, squabbling, fighting monsters and coursing through the Sixth Grade, the Boys nothing but objects of occasional conversation.

That was until a month later when a social worker knocked on their door, requesting the Professor's compliance for an interview, specifically, to vouch for Olivia Venus's credibility as a parent. He had been visibly shocked, and couldn't help but ask why the worker needed such verification from him, she had then informed him on Olivia's intent to adopt the Rowdyruff Boys. He hadn't needed to fill the Girls in on this information, they found out themselves through a much more youthfully indigenous medium, the Internet.

News had propagated about Olivia adopting the Boys, with various pictures of her exiting the Townsville courthouse—the Boys in tow—on the day the adoption was validated flooding the web. It was a fruitful day for the paparazzi, they went crazy with the headlines. _"WORLD RENOWED SCIENTIST ADOPTS EX-CONVICTS". "TOWNSVILLE STUNNED AS VILLIANS GET ADOPTED". "A FOURTH ROWDYRUFF?"_ They must have been elated at the opportunity to put out news stories in relation to that last headline, seeing as that was Bear's first ever public appearance, an astonishing revelation to the world, the girls included.

She wondered what this was like for him. As far as she knew, he had never even seen her or her sisters physically until today. She wondered how he felt coming back here, seeing her sisters, seeing her. But then again, he didn't seem to care much earlier, and that made Bunny feel inexplicably... uneasy.

"People are gonna be talking about this for a while." Robin said, unknowingly snapping Bunny out of her reverie.

"I'd expect nothing less, this is High School after all." Blossom replied, huffing in frustration at her failure to locate the Boys.

"It's so weird seeing them back here after, you know, after everything."

"Their sudden appearance can't be random, it has to be a cover for their true intentions." Blossom said, certain.

Robin glanced at Blossom's staid expression like she wanted to say something, then she opened her mouth to speak...

But the school bell beat her to it as the last residuum of students filed into their classes.

"I'll see you guys later." Blossom said as she turned to climb the stairs to their left. Robin watched the redhead until she disappeared upon reaching the second flight, she turned to Bunny, whose expression was near unreadable.

"Are you okay Bunny?" She asked.

Bunny blinked, then swiveled her head to face Robin, "Yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

"Here you are boys." Ms Keane—principal of Townsville High—said, handing them a spate of papers. Brick took them, inspecting each paper and passing them to his brothers accordingly.

They had gone straight to Ms Keane's office as they'd been instructed the previous day. And they'd done so quite quickly as well, what with the students simulating the parting of the Red Sea as they sauntered up the school hallway.

Bear's detached expression almost acted as a warning symbol, which the student body diligently obeyed. Boomer swirled his head around, examining everything from the row of olympic blue lockers to the assorted design of the tiled floor, composed of mostly white with squares of red. Butch sneered directly at some he caught looking at him, relishing the frightened expression they would assume. He made sure to divide his attention though, there was a myriad of eye candy as well. He'd sighted a particular brunette smirk as they locked eyes, he smirked lasciviously and cemented her image into his head.

Brick exuded the irritation his expression bespoke as he trailed his brothers, forcing the students who were already quailing to all but phase into their lockers.

"I'm sure you'll find your electives are as you selected?" Ms Keane inquired as the boys perused their schedules.

"Yes! I get both Drama and Honors Chorale," Boomer exclaimed in elation.

"You are the _literal_ embodiment of virginity," Butch said, getting whacked in the head as a result.

"Shut up, Butch," Brick ordered, narrowing his eyes at him.

"No such thing anyway," Bear said, arching a brow at his papers then looking to Ms Keane. "I can only have two electives maximum, I'm guessing?"

"Until your senior year dear" Ms Keane said apologetically, having been impressed with his form submission. Olivia had mentioned Bear's assiduousness towards his passion, she hoped he wouldn't be too set back by his slightly inconvenient schedule.

Speaking of studios Rowdyruffs, her eyes flicked to Brick, who, in about five seconds, handed her back a paper. She surveyed his electives and smiled up at him, "I can't wait to see your Photography work Brick."

Butch was handing her his just as she finished talking, "Got to keep the legacy going," he said proudly. Miss Keane saw that he'd opted for Basketball.

"Twenty bucks says he'll get kicked off the team this semester," Boomer challenged, spontaneously popping up behind Butch's shoulder.

"More like in three weeks," Bear assented, not raising his eyes from his schedules. Butch turned to him, offense clearly taken.

Brick scoffed. "Two."

Butch's frown deepened as he scowled at his brothers, in turn. "I'm actually gonna prove you fuckers wrong this time. Fucking watch!"

"Right." Came their collective response, dripping in sarcasm.

Bear finally handed his schedule over, Ms Keane collected it and gave it a quick once over, beaming upon review. "Poetry and World Music—" she looked up at him, "—tasteful."

She gave them each back their schedules before making to address them, which, she realized, required her to take a few steps backwards. She'd always been petite by nature, and the boys, as she assumed was natural with all their inhuman genes, were quite tall. She didn't imagine that any of them were under six feet. Although Boomer seemed to miss that benchmark by just an inch, he also seemed to be the shortest among them.

"Now boys—" she started, now that she didn't need to crane her neck to look at them properly "—I understand that coming back to Townsville must be difficult, considering everything."

"More like every _one,_ " Butch smirked.

"That's none of our concern." Brick said dismissively. Butch laughed.

"Despite that," Ms Keane said, giving Butch a warning look. "I assured your mother that you four would stay out of trouble."

"We understand, we won't cause any trouble, you can rest easy." Bear said in assurance.

"Alright then." Ms Keane nodded, satisfied. Her eyes shifted to Boomer, who was putting an immense amount of concentration into blowing a bubble from his gum, before it was finger flicked into a sticky web against his face, via Butch's finger. A mild look of panic flashed across her face, she looked to Brick and Bear.

"We'll watch them." They said in unison. Bear making a show of smacking Butch across the head.

Ms Keane then ushered them through her door, the secretary room and out into the hallway. Boomer hastily spun right before she closed the door, a goofy grin on his face.

"Thanks, Auntie Helen."

Ms Keane chuckled fondly. "It's Principal Keane during school hours Boomer. Now get to class."

Once she closed the door the boys briskly relayed their schedules to each other, they'd be separating now in pairs to head to their different classes.

"Alright!" Butch exclaimed and clasped his hands desirously. "You guys know what class the purple one is in? In-case I get bored of mine."

Suddenly, all he saw was red. Brick was right in his face, his eyes hard as they peered into Butch's.

"You better fucking behave yourself," Brick said, his words looming with perilous intent. Butch blinked, then smirked before pouting mockingly.

"Yes Daddy," he said, then his chin ate Brick's fist.

"I'm serious! Now let's get to class," Brick said, marching up the hall.

"My jaw hurts you _dick_!" Butch groused as he held his chin between his fingers, but fell into step behind Brick either way.

"Later shitheads!" Boomer bellowed, Brick and Butch threw middle fingers back at him without turning.

Bear chuckled and nudged Boomer before walking in the opposite direction. Boomer followed, lightly bouncing and hooking his arm on Bear's shoulders. "The hell is up with you?" Boomer asked, squinting at his brother in curiosity.

Bear glanced at him, "What are you talking about?"

"You've said like, three words since we got here. Brick's been the only one really bitching about having to go to school here, and Butch is obviously excited at the prospect of new skirts to chase. Where does that leave you?"

Bear shrugged, his eyes roaming from locker to locker aimlessly. "Indifferent, I guess. There's nothing about this school that educes any emotion from me."

"Even if you're brothers with guys who were once infamously recognized as archenemies to the superheroes who go to this same school?"

"People will be talking about something different next week, it's High School. Besides, that's kinda you guys' drama." Bear answered bluntly.

Boomer peered at Bear a second longer before turning his gaze elsewhere. "You gonna talk to her?" He abruptly asked, intertwining his fingers behind his head.

Bear's eyes flickered back to him, and he wanted to ask who Boomer was talking about. But he already knew that.

"If she seems cool, I guess. It's nothing to fret about," Bear answered, rolling his head circularly and audibly loosening a few knots. "Why are _you_ so ecstatic about this place?"

"Why shouldn't I be? It's a chance to revitalize, yunno? Change is inevitable man, no use grumbling about it," Boomer beamed.

Bear replied with a noncommittal grunt as they made a right turn into the hall where their classes were located.

"A'ight, this is me." Bear said as he came to a halt, Boomer padded on, turning so he could face his brother as he stepped backwards.

"Talk to her," he soundlessly mouthed, grinning at Bear's uninterested head shake.

Bear swung the door open, hearing the discussion that filled the room dissipate. He closed the door behind him, coming face to face with the class, all eyes riveted to him. He stared back featurelessly, briskly scanning through the seated students before halting at a particular one. Then he guessed that Boomer had probably furtively used his X-Ray vision to look into the classroom before he'd stepped in, the dickhead would definitely be laughing to himself now.

Bear blinked at the specific pair of eyes he'd landed on.

Bunny blinked back.

"Mr Venus," Bear turned to the teacher. Mrs Labille, if he remembered the name on his schedule correctly, smiled at him.

"Welcome."

* * *

Boomer eased one of the doors to the auditorium open and was met with an arcadian atmosphere.

The room was dark, the only illumination being provided came from the lights surrounding the stage. He sighted the circle of students seated on the floor right in-front of said stage, with a few students lodging on its edge.

As he neared them, he realized they had completely stopped chattering, and were openly peering at him as he approached. He sauntered past the rows of black theater seats, stopping when he reached the students. He also then noticed the teacher was the only one sitting on a chair, with his back facing the stage.

The elderly—Boomer guessed somewhere in his fifties—man smiled at the blonde, but oddly said nothing. Boomer looked around the class, feeling like he made eye contact which each and everyone of them.

He then proceeded to characteristically beam at them, raising a Peace Sign to punctuate. "What's good guys?" he greeted cordially. "Uh, I'm Boomer. But I guess some of you unfortunately know that already." He laughed.

He'd intended it as a joke, and it was even perceived as one for the most part. But it didn't hinder the reflexive shiver the students responded with.

In contrast, the lax—evident in the vintage shirt he was currently vestured in—teacher cut into the silence with laughter. "Boomer. Welcome." He replied, reciprocating Boomer's collegiality. "How about giving Boomer a proper greeting guys?" He induced.

"Hey Boomer." Came their instantaneous, almost choral-like greeting.

"That's better," the teacher said with a satisfied nod, educing a few laughs. He looked to Boomer, whose grin was plastered on his face.

"Thanks Mr... Hughes?" He said, his lack of certainty provoking another round of laughs.

Mr Hughes beamed wider himself. "Blow my mind at auditions on Friday and you can call me Callum," he jerked his head downwards. "Take a seat."

Boomer gave one last grin before moving to plop down in-between the people nearest to him. All the students in the circle had to adjust accordingly as space was created for him.

He sat and crossed his legs before stripping off his bag and digging into it for his materials.

"Alright, so, as I was saying. Margo Jones's work in..." Mr Hughes continued with the lecture and Boomer intended to pick it up from there, except now he couldn't find a pen anywhere in his backpack. He tended to take notes in class, at least classes he cared about.

He looked to the person beside him. An Asian boy who blew his bangs out of his face as Mr Hughes went on, continuously flicking his pen against the fabric of his jeans.

"Hey," Boomer whispered. The boy turned. "Got an extra pen?"

The boy nodded, hastily fetching his own rucksack from behind him and retrieving a pen after a brief rummage. He handed it to Boomer who collected it with a curt nod.

"Thanks man," Boomer said, flipping his notebook open. They both refocused their attention on Mr Hughes, and after a stretch of silence, the boy turned back to Boomer.

"I'm Billy by the way." He introduced himself, his smile casual but friendly.

Boomer smiled back. "Thanks Billy."

* * *

Bunny watched as Bear sat, just two seats in-front of her.

Mrs Labille proceeded with the class, but it was obvious that she had lost her grip on their attention upon Bear's arrival. She'd certainly lost Bunny's.

Bunny stared at his back, no, his head, she realized she was staring at the back of his head. She wondered what was going on in there, she wanted... she wanted to know.

She _could_ find out, she thought, then she shook her head instantly, surprised she'd even briefly entertained the thought. That was risky. What if he sensed her trying to probe his head without permission? That would sink their energy from awkward to unpleasant and then some. Why had she even just considered that? She never utilized her power for invasion of people's privacy, period.

 _Just talk to him_ , she thought, her brows subconsciously knitting in self-induced frustration. She was being unnecessarily dramatic. Yeah, that was it. She would just talk to him. Later though, she couldn't take him aside right now, during class, that would be weird, weird and disrespectful to Mrs Labille. She liked the woman, a lot, she didn't want to rudely disrupt the class. Yeah.

She tore her eyes away from him, she needed to chill. Seriously. She rose her head up as she clicked her pen open, but before her senses could reestablish her French teacher's voice or presence, she was softly pelted by a tiny, crumpled clump of paper.

She flicked her eyes in the direction it came from, landing on the curly haired Pablo who was returning her furtive glance, before shifting his gaze to Bear with a bawdy grin.

Bunny chuckled, triggering a link between the both of them so Pablo could gossip freely, as he clearly wanted to. Upon feeling the familiar 'zapping' sensation briskly wave though his head, the latin boy instantaneously bellowed.

 _'Who is that_ specimen _of a man?!'_ Pablo's voice boomed in her head, his grin threatening to split his face in two.

Bunny refrained from rolling her eyes in amusement. ' _Unfortunately for you, I have no idea.'_ She replied.

_'What? Really?'_

_'Yeah'_ , Bunny said, her eyes flicking to Bear. ' _Never even seen him until today_.'

 _'Oh, damn,'_ Pablo's grin momentarily faltered, _'Is it weird then?'_

Bunny shrugged faintly, her eyes moving back to meet Pablo's. _'A little, but, that's probably just me'_.

 _'Have you guys talked?'_ Pablo asked, plopping his elbow on his desk and placing his chin in his palm.

 _'Plan to. But, I don't know if_ he _wants to. He's barely even looked at me since him and his brothers arrived, if at all_ ' Bunny replied, her lips settling into a small frown. She didn't understand why she was so adamant on this. She didn't know who Bear was, at all. He didn't know who she was either. But, perhaps that was the reason, she... she wanted to know _something_ about him, wanted to know how _he_ was dealing with, well, being alive. Being who he was, being _what_ he was, especially in relation to her. And on that note, she also wanted to know more about Olivia Venus.

Their dad had always been very conservative about details when he spoke about Olivia to the Girls. The rare times that he did so, he would give compendious summaries about the period she lived in Townsville, and worked conjointly with John himself.

Bunny understood though, or at least she tried to, considering the incident. Olivia was obviously a delicate topic of conversation for John, but... she wanted to know more about her, about her and John, about _why_ she did what she did that faithful night. But, she had better luck discovering an animal species with supernatural powers so long as she depended on her dad to give her that information.

Pablo hadn't responded, he'd stayed mute and simply watched as Bunny visibly got lost in thought. He got the feeling that she had more to say. If she did, words definitely eluded her, evident when she finally said...

_'I just... I don't know.'_

Pablo scrutinized his best friend, averting his eyes to the source of her disquietude and back. _'Well, you won't know anything unless you talk to him, and you should if it's really bothering you. Which it clearly is.'_ He said in a solacing manner.

 _'I know,'_ Bunny puffed out a sigh. _'I will, once, you know. Once I get my head straight.'_

_'Bitch, you best make your move before I do!'_

Bunny couldn't curtail the laugh that escaped her lips, which catalyzed a laugh from Pablo as well. Mrs Labille paused and shot them both a look and they clamped their mouths shut, faint chuckles still spilling through the cracks of their smiles.

* * *

Butch groaned in frustration, he'd already been dreading having to deal with fucking Chemistry on his first day. Now he had to deal with Buttercup's malignant eyes glaring daggers into his side profile on top of that, which was made easy by the fact that she was sitting right next to him. He regretted not shoving Brick in-between them, said red-head was seated on the other side of the classroom, blissfully unaware of Butch's misery.

Butch couldn't so much as blink irregularly without Buttercup foaming at the mouth, he was surprised she hadn't barked at him yet.

He let his bored eyes drift away from her, intent of finding something his brain could latch onto, Heaven knew he would never _consciously_ absorb a lick of that Chemical Bonding crap the teacher was currently spewing.

His eyes roamed the class, intermittently stopping at a few potential weekend companions. He added them to The File and pushed it to a crevice in his mind with a grin. He circled back to Buttercup, who was thankfully making an attempt at focusing her attention elsewhere, then to Mitch just behind her.

He was slouched in his chair, blearily staring at the board, or past it, it was hard to tell. He kept fidgeting, clearly agitated. Butch observed his arms, his right was propped up on his table as he fruitlessly tried to embody an air of consciousness. His left dropped at his side, his hand stuffed into his pocket, fiddling with something.

Butch's eyes flickered back to Mitch's face just as the brunette's head jerked downwards and his eyes momentarily shot open before slowly drooping back to their weary state. He took in Mitch's shaggy hair, his left brow piercing, his lean frame.

He smiled maniacally, his pupils dilated as he activated his X-Ray vision and flicked his gaze back to Mitch's pocket. His smile widened as he examined the joint in-between his fingers.

 _Alright!_ Butch snorted, guess he was going to prove his mom wrong and actually make a friend today. First period came to a much anticipated end and Butch watched as Buttercup speedily stood, turned to Mitch's now snoring form and lightly poked his forehead. Such an action performed by a regular, everyday human wouldn't beget much of an effect, but coming from a superhuman like Buttercup, even a faint finger jab was enough to send Mitch toppling to the ground.

He landed with a loud _thump_ , eliciting a couple of head turns in his direction, but those were redirected as soon as they confirmed it was Mitch. "Ugh," he grunted, rubbing his neck, "You could've just shaken me asshole!" He exclaimed, issuing a glare at her as he shuffled to his feet.

"But then I'd miss out on the chance to make you look stupid." Buttercup sniggered. Mitch muttered something unintelligible as him and Buttercup made towards the door, the latter throwing Butch one last threatening glare over her shoulder.

Butch winked, relishing the snarl it educed from her. He searched for Mitch once he stepped into the hall, successfully locating him near the stairs, where him and Buttercup separated.

As fate would have it, him and Mitch shared his second period as well. Brick and Bear also shared this class with him, meanwhile Bubbles was the only Powerpuff present. Unlike her surly, dark haired sister though, Bubbles didn't actually pay much mind to the boys. She instead busied herself with surreptitiously texting Robin, made obvious by the way said Robin would giggle each time she threw a glance to her phone, before furtively typing a response which would elicit an analogous giggle from Bubbles.

This was good news for Butch, who delightfully found himself free to survey the female variety of the class's occupants, halting only when his eyes slowly began to capitulate to the consuming power of sleep. The sound of the bell jolted him awake, he blinked away the dreariness and swiveled his head to see Mitch already halfway out the door, impatiently shoving people as he paced.

He hastily stood and exited the class himself, bounding up to meet his brothers.

"Are we really going to eat in the cafeteria?" Bear inquired as the three of them navigated the crowds, approaching said cafeteria.

Brick sniffled. "Taking that smell into consideration, _I'm_ definitely not." He scowled. "I'll just spend my lunch in the library."

"I'm not eating that shit either, gonna go grab a burger at Bruno's," Butch said once he saw Mitch make a turn for the front doors. Brick turned to face him, his features screaming distrust. "What? Not all of us enjoy spending our time nose deep in Alfred Camus bro."

"It's Albert, dumbass." Brick affronted.

"For real? Oh... whatever!" Butch replied, shouldering past his brothers through their middle. "Catch you guys later." He lifted off into the air and zipped down and out the hall, some people cautiously ducked and held their books in place, in prudence of the sudden gust of wind that blew past them.

Brick continued to frown in the direction Butch had flown off in, almost as though willing his glare to reach Butch wherever he was. It was the unfortunate people in his direct path who took the brunt of it however, with several of them shuddering in fear.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you legitimately have the ability to smile." Bear said.

"What fucking reason is there to?" Brick groused. "Besides, you're one to talk."

"You should try to relax," Bear said, side-eyeing Brick. "You're overly stressing about this."

Brick blinked, then slowly his features began to harden as he glared at Bear. "Easy for you to say, _you_ don't have any history here. You didn't have the displeasure of being treated like shit by these second-rate hypocrites." He said, in reference to the students who roamed the hall, the teachers who were spending their break in the staff lounge, the middling citizens who were walking along the streets. All of them. Everyone in this _fucking_ city.

He had finally been free, free from the coercion, free from the incessant vilification, free from those pestilent, self-righteous little girls who tagged themselves as heroes.

Bear didn't get it, which Brick couldn't blame him for, but he didn't understand regardless. Brick had desperately longed to leave, had almost lost... everything in the effort to do so. Now he was going to be here for at least two years. Twenty-Four _fucking_ months.

If he had to inadvertently spend that much time here, he sure as hell wasn't going to pretend like he was enjoying it.

"You think they're going to treat me any different because of that?" Bear arched a brow.

Brick scrutinized him, then let his gaze roam to the people who strode past them, noting the way they carefully walked _around_ the boys, trying, and dramatically failing to furtively murmur.

He looked back to Bear. "Then you should understand my disdain for this place."

"I do," Bear replied. "But it's not mom's fault we're here."

"She could have chosen the job in Russia," Brick muttered, adjusting his cap.

"One of the most racist countries on the planet?" Bear said, fully turning to Brick with an accusatory glare. "So _that's_ what this is really about then?"

Brick suddenly looked mortified, stuttering as he tried to speak. "Wh—what? No! No! That's not what I meant, I just—" he ceased his defensive rambling as Bear's scowl softened into a grin, accompanied by a small laugh.

"Seriously? I'm just fucking with you man." He said, still laughing lightly. Brick frowned, his glare on his brother intensifying, but there was a hint of relief in his expression.

"Fucking jackass." He said. Bear snorted.

They had reached the cafeteria now, they stopped at the open doors, surveying the hordes of teenagers seated in circles across the room. Brick's face scrunched in disgust.

"It's even more prominent up close." Brick said. Bear went on examining the room, catching sight of their blonde brother on a table somewhere in the middle area. Boomer swiveled his head away from the people he was conversing with to the doors. He smiled and waved his brothers over.

Then, something happened. Neither Bear nor Brick could really explain it, there was this ominous force that suddenly pervaded the room, they _felt_ it, it caused all the stares directed at them to avert instantly.

They both looked over their shoulders to see Buttercup glaring at them with her arms folded. Bunny and Pablo were with her, standing at either side. Bear recognized the latter from French class earlier.

Brick returned Buttercup's glare with equal venom, Bear flicked his eyes between all three, then he faced Brick to speak, but Brick took the prerogative.

"There a problem?" Brick asked with a scowl.

Buttercup's frown matched his, undeterred. "You tell me." She spat. A brief silence followed, soundlessly punctuated by Buttercup and Brick's Scary Face contest.

"Well, I'm starving," Pablo announced, grabbing their collective attention as he loudly clasped his hands together. "I suggest you two ladies continue this elsewhere. You're causing traffic." He said, striding past Bear into the cafeteria.

Bear looked up to confirm Pablo's statement, and saw that there were in-fact people who had stopped advancing towards the cafeteria's entry once they stumbled into the tense atmosphere. Even though Brick and Buttercup had exchanged merely two, three-word sentences, the crowd's size was rapidly increasing.

 _Man, what the hell is wrong with these people?_ Bear thought, exasperated. He'd expected that his brothers' arrival would undoubtedly elicit some attention. However, he hadn't foreseen that the students here would be all but enthralled if he or his brothers so much as breathed, or were anywhere within fifty feet of the Girls.

"I don't have time for this," Brick scoffed, breaking the glare with Buttercup and turning to head to his left, away from the cafeteria. "Later Bear."

"Later," Bear replied, shifting his gaze from Brick's retreating back to Buttercup's frigid glower. He hadn't even seen Bunny step forward, and by the time he tried to face her, she was already past him. He just noticed then that she hadn't said a word.

His gaze followed her into the cafeteria, where she seemed to be heading to the table he just saw Pablo perch on, with two others he didn't recognize.

"Where's he going?"

He turned back to Buttercup. She was looking at Brick, whose form was beginning to fade into the mass of students in the hall, then she faced him, her expression demanding.

He stared at her perfunctorily, before stuffing his hands into his pockets and scoffing, already turning into the cafeteria.

Buttercup's eyes went wide, once again shocked at the sheer _audacity_ of him. She bristled, and had to consciously keep from clenching her fists.

Just who the _fuck_ did he think he was?!

The students had resumed walking following Bear's exit. Buttercup released one last indignant grunt before moving into the cafeteria herself, watching as Bear made his way to over to the table his blue-eyed brother was waiting at.

She headed straight for her usual table where her friends and sister were already seated.

"C'mon! I'm gonna lie? You can't make this shit up," the dark skinned boy beside Pablo said defensively.

"What's Harry on about this time?" Buttercup inquired, as she slotted in-between Harry and Bunny.

"They think I'm trippin' BC!" Harry explained, gesticulating dramatically.

"Harry says the biggest condom in the world can stretch up to twenty feet," Kim informed, sneering.

Buttercup opened her palms in perturbation, "What the fuck did I just walk into!?" She exclaimed.

"Another episode of the THC show, starring Harry Pitt." Pablo cackled.

"I wasn't even stoned when I saw this!" Harry cried. "I'm telling y'all, this ain't like the flying deer, there's a whole ass documentary online."

"People post a lot of fallacious BS online though," Bunny said, incredulous.

"You on their side?" Harry issued Bunny a look that bespoke betrayal. Bunny gave him a shrug, grinning.

"Why the hell would anyone even make that?" Buttercup said, giving Harry a look that clearly said Really Dude, Really.

"Bet it was a pitifully optimistic, hetero male," Kim answered, placing her soda near her lips. "I'm willing to put money on that." She finished, and took a sip.

"I'll double it," Pablo assented.

"Fuck y'all," Harry griped, beginning to stand. "I'm gonna get some chips."

"Get me a bag of Tositos?" Harry looked to Bunny, who simpered amiably. He grumbled callowly, but made sure to take out an extra five bucks from his wallet as he started for the vending machines.

Buttercup scanned the table, arching a questioning brow. "Where's Mitch?"

" _D_ _efinitely_ getting stoned at the bleachers," Kim said, sitting up as her eyes swept the room back and forth, returning to Buttercup once she failed to locate who she was looking for. "Bubbles doesn't have this lunch?" She asked Bunny, who shook her head. Kim found herself scanning through the room once again, but stopped when she accepted it was obviously pointless.

"Fool is gonna get himself suspended," Buttercup said, snatching Pablo's soda right out of his hands ("Hey!").

"For Mitch? Probably a glorious opportunity to get fried everyday for two weeks," Bunny said, whipping out her phone when it chimed, she swiped, double tapped, then pocketed it. "Are we all set for today?" She asked, facing Kim.

"Yeah, Mitch already put up posters on the notice boards before school," Kim answered, nodding.

"You guys still haven't found a guitarist?" Buttercup asked, loudly sipping Pablo's cola. Bunny shook her head.

It was fair to say that, despite having lived in the city for the better part of twelve years, the Girls, including Bunny who'd lived here for about nine, were still viewed as the créme de la créme of the populace. A warranted title when one took note of the fact that they were indeed, capable of things that ordinary human beings could, literally, only dream of. This vantage extended to the girls' distinct interests. While naturally, Blossom greatly excelled at academic endeavors (her painting was an entirely different story), Bubbles was essentially _the_ popular girl, Buttercup effortlessly emasculated the school's jocks and there were people who would do unspeakable things just to get Bunny to sing them to bed.

The walnut brunette first dropped jaws, including those of her father and sisters, at a middle school talent show. They hadn't been aware that she was just as shocked when the crowd rose up to give her a standing ovation. Her passion—aided by her family's persistent persuasion—for music only grew. Come sophomore year, she'd decided she was going to start a school band. She worked her way towards it and within two months, at one of Robin's parties, Kim clutched the bass, Mitch sat at the drums, Harry stood over the piano, Wes gripped the guitar and she held the mic.

And thus, Ravenhead was born. They'd been one of, if not _the_ most popular band in school. Then, abruptly, Wes moved to the other side of the country, stumping Bunny and her band mates. Wes had probably been the best guitarist in Townsville High, replacing him was undoubtedly going to be difficult, but of-course they had to. Bunny had briefly considered helming the guitar herself, but she was captious to the extent where she admitted she was dissatisfied with her precision in playing said instrument.

She was by no means bad, she had an ingenious inclination for musical instruments in general, but she had standards concerning music, standards she equally held herself to. They needed someone better, someone who could manipulate those strings immaculately.

"Easier to inform people that we're holding auditions through school anyway." Bunny said.

Buttercup nodded in understanding, ignoring the sour look Pablo gave her as she handed him back his soda. Her green eyes flicked past him, landing on a particular table right as her lip curled in distaste.

Bunny followed her sister's gaze, not surprised to track it to Boomer chattering animatedly as the people around him laughed, barring Bear. The latter seemed more interested in his phone than the conversation his brother was orchestrating. She actually recognized both people, she realized, as Billy reciprocated Boomer's jaunty energy while Susie leaned against him, chuckling as her boyfriend and the blue Rowdyruff prattled on.

"That purple one pisses me off," Buttercup frowned. Bunny shifted uncomfortably.

Kim and Pablo turned to see the recipient of Buttercup's glare. Pablo sighed affectionately, turning back to the Girls with a faraway gaze, "Isn't he just... dreamy?"

Buttercup scrunched her face in disgust. "He's pretty cute," Kim said, pursing her lips as she nodded. "The blonde one too."

"I'm about to empty my breakfast on this table," Buttercup scowled at them both.

"You didn't have any." Bunny reminded her.

"I'm just being objective," Kim said, in response to Buttercup. "Besides, they aren't my type, obviously."

"Can you just imagine what his eyes look like in the moonlight?" Pablo said, his eyes still gleaming with imaginative bliss.

Harry reappeared then, bearing chips. He handed Bunny one bag, which she excitedly grabbed and tore open instantly.

"That damn machine almost ate my five bucks," Harry groused as he took his seat.

Buttercup suddenly jerked and pointed under the table at Harry's feet. "Shit! Are those fucking rats!?"

"Fuck!" Harry yelped, diving backwards hastily and flinging his bag of Lays in the process as he landed on his back.

He propped himself on his elbows and frantically searched for those fleecy, scurrying little devils he hated more than anything.

He found nothing. No rodents, just his chips scattered across the floor. He glared up at Buttercup who was nearly doubled over in laughter.

* * *

Mitch looked around, circumspect in scanning the area. He was under the bleachers, facing the small fence that sundered the school from neighboring houses.

He sat on the ground and drew out the joint from his pocket, fetching a lighter from his left sock. He lit it up and took a hit, inhaling satisfyingly before blowing out the smoke.

He didn't know why he hadn't thought to make this his smoking spot since freshman year. Airy and deserted, perfect. Once he got those new headphones he probably wouldn't even know to go back to class.

"Yo!"

"Holy sh—" Mitch jerked to. His senses lulling once he saw Butch at the end of the Bleachers, casually strolling towards him.

"Fuck's sake man, you almost gave me a damn heart attack." He said, palming his chest in relief. Butch continued his approach, smirking as his gaze landed on the joint.

Mitch's relief suddenly dissipated as his voice got clogged in his throat. Despite having grown up around superpowered beings and thus adapted to their existence, he found it just a bit more difficult to breathe as Butch reached him. In his defense, none of them carried quite the... sinister aura Butch did. The smile he threw Mitch somehow only accentuated that effect and he suddenly thought of how pathetic it would be to die under the bleachers of a High School stadium field.

Butch then flopped down next to him, impertinently reaching for the rolled up green in Mitch's right hand. "Gimme' that shit." He demanded.

Mitch's face dropped comically, he looked from Butch to the blunt and back. Butch looked at Mitch like he was wondering if he understood English, motioning at the joint with his fingers.

Mitch noticed the light had gone out since he'd just been holding it in the air. He passed Butch the joint as well as the lighter—Butch indicated he didn't the latter—and watched as he lit his finger with a green flame instead, lighting the joint and hitting it himself.

And man, did he _hit_ it, he really dragged that motherfucker, burned through _half_ of it in _one_ go. Mitch looked at Butch in reverential shock as the Ruff passed the joint back, exhaling a large mass of smoke like he was some sort of walking, talking exhaust pipe. He didn't even fucking cough.

"Shit," Butch sighed, contented. "Been weeks since I had a good smoke." He said with a cackle, letting his back fall to the ground.

Mitch kept his eyes on Butch even as he took another hit, Butch glanced at him from his laid down position and snorted. "Right, where are my manners. Butch," he said, raising a hand.

Mitch paused, considering, then rose a hand himself as they shook. "Mitch."

"Smoke often?" Butch asked. It was Mitch's turn to snort.

"I'm only sober when I've got no choice."

"You realize we're at fucking school right?"

"So fucking what?"

Butch released a throaty laugh. "A man of culture I see." he said, sneering in approval.

Mitch laughed before taking another hit, it was possibly the drugs talking, but the atmosphere suddenly got significantly thinner as him and Butch began to converse. "Hey, speaking of," he said, smoke wisping out of his mouth. "You, like, have a special power right? Like the Girls?"

"This is correct," Butch answered.

"Does it have anything to do with your throat?"

Butch arched a brow in a Say What Now? manner, "Dude, I literally just met you. Plus, I swing the other way."

"That's not what I mean you gross bastard!" Mitch said, shaking his head as well as his raised hands. He held up the blunt, "I mean how the hell can you smoke like that? Like, what the fuck?"

"Our bodies work _way_ differently man, that shit wasn't even enough to get me _high_ high." Butch said, raising his hand again, this time towards the blunt. Mitch had subconsciously just kept hitting it, he was definitely good. He handed it over to Butch who all but swallowed what was left of the joint and flicked it away.

Mitch stared, still awed. "I need to learn how to do that,"

"Ha! You'll hack out your fucking lungs." Butch sniggered.

Mitch grunted in response as he cracked his neck, before shaking his head and bringing his vision back into focus.

"So, you're friends with Buttercup yeah?" Butch said, raising his left sneaker to scratch his shin.

"This is correct," Mitch answered. This time they snorted in unison.

"Bet she's gonna give you hell for fraternizing with a Rowdyruff,"

"Probably, you guys piss her off,"

"Evidently." Butch said, visibly amused.

Mitch tipped his head back, it felt heavier all of a sudden. The weed was _really_ starting to kick in. "What are you guys doing back in Townsville anyway?" Mitch asked bluntly, and if he wasn't so high he'd have considered that a question like that could probably be unwelcome by Butch. Fortunately for him, Butch didn't seem to care.

"Mom got work here, so we had to move. We could've gone to another school, but where's the fun in that?" Butch answered, smirking as he closed his eyes.

"So like, you guys aren't here to take over the world or some shit?" Mitch said.

Butch laughed. "Dude, seriously? We don't do kids stuff like that anymore. We've got lives yunno? Better shit to do than trying to 'defeat' a bunch'a caped crusaders."

"The Girls don't wear capes,"

"You get the point." Butch said dismissively.

"Could've bet on Blossom to have started wearing a cape by now though," Mitch thought out loud, gazing into space. "'Cause she's the leader yunno? She's got that whole Captain America-like vibe about her."

"Oh yeah?" Butch asked.

"Yeah man," Mitch said, not looking away from... nowhere. "She even gives you shit for cursing, it's crazy. I don't think she needs a shield though."

Butch shook his head, Mitch was fucking stoned. Well, he had to admit he was feeling the effects as well, he would kill for another joint though. Which reminded him...

"Yo, who's your dealer? I want to get an ounce of this shit." Butch asked. Seconds went by without him getting a response and he cracked open an eye in confusion. "Mitch?" Still no answer.

Butch pushed himself up into a sitting position so he could look at Mitch properly. The scruffy haired boy was arrested by something on the ground now. Butch followed his gaze to find a wandering beetle as it, well, wandered.

He looked back up at Mitch, "Dude" he called and Mitch snapped to, blinking vigorously as his eyes drooped and he vainly tried to stop smiling.

"Huh?"

They sat in silence for a few passing moments, simply staring at each other. Then, together, they burst out laughing.

"You're _fried_ dude. I swear to fucking God." Butch cackled.

"Man, that shit's good" Mitch slurred, grabbing his head and releasing a cackle himself.

"And your eyes look like you're about to beam out fucking lasers," Butch noticed, reaching for his pocket and retrieving an Eye Drop bottle with a purple cap.

"The hell is that?" Mitch asked, eyes fixated on the bottle.

"Lumify, brother. Saving stoners since... whenever the fuck it was made." He said, handing the bottle to Mitch. He took it, squinting as he examined the bottle.

He popped it open and pressed a drop each into both his eyes. He blinked the liquid in, sniffling as he felt it trickle down to the bridge of his nose before he handed the bottle back to Butch.

"You a'int half bad Mitch," Butch praised, pocketing the Lumify.

"You too, dude. I mean, you've got a fucking stoner kit." Mitch laughed.

Butch's acute super hearing picked up on the ringing of the school bell. He groaned, hastily jumping up from his place on the floor.

Mitch looked up at him, muddled. "The bell just went Shaggy. C'mon, let's bounce." Butch said, offering a hand. Mitch blinked then shook his head before puffing out a breath that made his lips wallop together rhythmically. He took Butch's hand and allowed himself be pulled up, which, he noticed, Butch did with practically no effort.

They exited the bleachers and made their way back towards the school building through the field.

"Hey, did you just call me Shaggy back there?" Mitch asked in what might have been offense, but he genuinely seemed like he'd forgotten.

"You ever look in the mirror? Scooby wouldn't be able to tell the difference." Butch laughed.

* * *

Fuck this. _Fuck_ this God forsaken dump of a school. This God forsaken dump of a city. Those _bitches_ who played hero to it, thinking they could tell _him_ what to do. If he wasn't so adamant about consciously blanking out the next two years, he'd _show_ them that their delusional sense of self-importance only extended to feeble minded humans.

Brick was incredibly pissed, and said pissiness oozed off him in tidal waves. His ire practically manifested in the form of an invisible force that pushed the people walking past him to their lockers, clearing a straight path for him to the library. He stalked past the bathroom doors, catching the girls' door start to creak open as he passed by, but it was simply his peripheral vision doing its work so he paid it no mind.

He'd moved about five steps forward before he heard the door close and then...

"Going somewhere?"

Brick stopped in his tracks, momentarily shocked, but, even before he turned, that shock morphed into exasperation at the recognition of the voice.

He groaned loudly, turned and glared.

Blossom glared back.

"Aren't you supposed to be having lunch?" She followed up when he didn't respond. Stepping forward and folding her arms, issuing him a suspicious look.

"Where I spend my lunch period is, and listen carefully, none of your _fucking_ business," Brick seethed.

"Watch your language!" Blossom reprimanded, letting her arms fall to her sides as she took another step forward.

"Don't tell me what to do you little cu—"

"I _know_ you're planning something," she interjected, pointing. Brick blinked.

"You don't have me fooled, not in the slightest."

Brick continued to glare, scrutinizing her. Taking in the look of scathing distrust she gave him. Oh, how he wanted to smack her across that freckled face. But no, he was done with that, unless of-course she forced his hand, in which case he would give her a _proper_ reunion, since she certainly seemed keen on it.

He scoffed. Fuck this. Fuck her.

"You know what? Think whatever the fuck you want. But, if you really think I'm here just to cause trouble in your pathetic excuse for a city, especially after all this time—" he narrowed his eyes, cocking his head so he could glare right into her eyes. "You're greatly overestimating your importance."

Blossom's features slackened, surprised. "Must be a real shock to realize the world doesn't revolve around you huh?" He said, and before she could formulate a retort he was already walking, back on his way to the library.

That little... did he just...? Blossom's jaw tightened as she bit back a needless scream. She stood there, her hands fisted, hating, absolutely _detesting_ how she could only resume glaring daggers into his back.

* * *

"Wow, he didn't say he was in Choir too." Susie said from her position on the top row of seats, her eyes on an attentive Boomer on the bottom row. A strange sight indeed, even if she'd known him for all of twenty minutes.

Bubbles was right next to her, equally surprised at Boomer's presence. "Mr. Bladen didn't say anything, he must have already auditioned," Bubbles guessed.

"Probably," Susie nodded her assent. "And if he's in this class that means he's already in our ensemble."

"That's so strange," Bubbles said, knitting her eyebrows as she looked at him.

"Why?" Susie said, zipping her mouth shut momentarily when Mr. Bladen's eyes fell on her. Bubbles answered once his eyes had moved on.

"Just like, I never would've envisioned one of _them_ in something like Choir," Bubbles said, hoping she made sense.

Susie's nod assured her of it. "I get what you mean, it's pretty weird. Maybe he's just average."

Both girls suddenly found their eyes widening, disconcerted, as Boomer turned to look at them, his face blank.

 _Crap_ , Bubbles thought, she forgot he had super-hearing. She almost looked apologetic, but Boomer simply smiled and averted his gaze back to Mr. Bladen.

"Well, that'll do great for his nerves." Susie winced guiltily.

Bubbles eyes lit up in realization. That was right, even though he'd obviously passed the audition, he still had to perform an introductory song at the end of the class, as was Mr. Bladen's tradition.

They ceased talking about Boomer then, directing their focus on their teacher. Class was a blur as they mostly covered basic stuff and reviewed the projects they did last semester. It was about five minutes to the end of the class before Mr. Bladen called on Boomer to perform.

Boomer stood, confidently striding towards the microphone, Mr. Bladen walked in the opposite direction, taking a seat at the front of the class, the only one in-front of the bottom row.

Bubbles watched as Boomer blew into the mic experimentally, clearing his throat after doing so. She was oddly tense, maybe that was because she was still feeling a little guilty for doubting his singing capabilities. But, really, he was a Rowdyruff Boy, what could he possibly know about—

Her eyes widened, in unison with everyone else in the room, barring their teacher. Bubbles stared on, shocked, awed. Boomer had gone for a mellow song, Madonna's Frozen, specifically. Now Bubbles had a trained musical ear, she'd been in Choir since the seventh grade, and she lived under the same roof as Bunny. She knew what a good singer sounded like, and Boomer was...

She wanted to see how Susie was reacting, but she couldn't peel her eyes away from him. The way he was completely immersed in the song, his eyes closed as he swayed his head in tune with the melody. Words failed her as he harmonized into the end of the song, finally opening his eyes after releasing a light breath.

Mr. Bladen immediately launched into applause, the rest of the class followed suit, splendidly surprised as well as impressed. Bubbles found herself just staring at, well, she could say her counterpart, in disbelief, she wasn't alone in this either.

"Oh my God." Susie whispered, her expression one of equal astonishment.

Boomer gave the class an impish grin as the applause died down. This was so strange, Bubbles' brain was finding it difficult to process that this boy who was once her enemy, this boy who was once a vandalic, villainous brat, had absolutely _killed_ his introductory performance for Choir in galvanizing fashion. The last time she laid eyes on him he was just a twelve year old criminal. She didn't mean to be offensive, it was just that... this was so strange.

"Well," Mr. Bladen said, smiling approvingly, "There's nothing to say except, Welcome to the Choir."

Boomer grinned right as the bell rung for the last time that day. The class collectively stood, scrambling for their backpacks.

"Alright birdies, remember your assignments," Mr Bladen stood—patting Boomer on the shoulder as he walked past him—and faced his class. "Find a partner to perform a duet with, contemporary works only, but if you want to be original that's fine. Due in two weeks." He said, gesturing for emphasis.

"Got a partner?" Susie asked as she and Bubbles stood, slinging their bags over their shoulders.

"Nope, want to pair?"

"You know this girl." Susie answered and Bubbles chuckled as she turned to lead them out from the row of seats but halted as she nearly crashed into someone. She looked up to see Boomer grinning down at her.

"Hey." He greeted in a genuinely friendly manner.

Bubbles blinked, disoriented, he looked behind her and threw up a characteristic Peace Sign. "Hey Susie."

"Um... hey... Boomer." Susie replied. He looked back to Bubbles.

"So uh, this might be kind of weird but, you want to pair up? I hear you're really good," he asked, brows raised in question.

What? Was he—was he being serious? "Are you being serious?" She asked disbelievingly.

"Of-course," he said, giving her a weird look.

Bubbles stared at him, trying and failing to form words through her slightly parted lips. He just stood there, gazing at her outright as he waited for an answer.

"Uh—" she finally managed, laughing awkwardly. "Oh Boomer. I'm sorry but, Susie and I are already—"

"Hey Sanjay! Wanna pair up?" Bubbles heard Susie say. She whirled on her, shooting Susie a frantic look that screamed Now Is Not The Time to Be Funny!

The Indian boy who Susie requested partnership from looked up at her from a bottom seat, beaming. "Sure." He said. Susie smiled at him in thanks, turning back to meet Bubbles' murderous eyes.

She ignored them and jerked her head towards Boomer. "Answer the man."

Bubbles was _so_ going to kill her! She turned to face Boomer, whose grin had found its way back to his face. She coughed—for no reason—and looked away from him, gripping the straps of her small bag.

"Um... sure, we can pair."

"Sweet!" Boomer exclaimed, reaching for his pocket, drawing out his phone and handing it to her. She looked from the phone to him and back, hesitantly letting go of her bag as she took it and tapped in her number.

She handed it back to Boomer who enthusiastically grabbed it and looked at the screen. For her super enhanced sight, she wondered how she was just noticing his painted nails. She all but gawked at the Egyptian Blue that coated his fingers before they were whipped away from her sight as Boomer pocketed his phone.

"I'll call you? Text?"

"Text." She said immediately, taking hold of the strap again.

"Got it, see you later," Boomer smiled, already floating towards the door. "Bye Susie!" He waved, she waved back.

"Bye!" She beamed as he flashed out the door, making the girl who had opened it shuffle back, almost losing her balance. She looked back to Bubbles who was glaring at her, it actually looked like there was a dim glow in those baby blue orbs.

"You better have a good explanation for doing that," Bubbles demanded.

"Oh come on! You guys would sound _amazing_ together. No way I'm missing out on a chance to hear that." Susie said in defense, too pleased with herself to be sympathetic for Bubbles.

Bubbles' anger dissolved into defeat as she sighed, floating up and towards the door herself. Susie scurried after her, "You guys should _definitely_ do a Queen song."

* * *

Buttercup exited the school doors with Mitch in tow, searching for their friends in the midst of the pool of people in the parking lot. She sighted Bunny and Pablo around the primo parking area, both were leaning against the latter's car, laughing at something Harry said, or maybe just at what he was doing, Buttercup thought as she watched him put one hand up to the sky while placing the other one on his chest.

She diverted towards them as Mitch finally caught up to her.

"Hey I forgot to ask, where were you at lunch anyway?" She said conversationally.

"Getting high under the bleachers," Mitch replied, bumping fists with a couple of guys as they walked by.

"You're gonna get your ass suspended one of these days," Buttercup said in a bored tone.

"What else is new?" Mitch sniggered.

"How much did you smoke?"

"Just a J."

"You killed a joint by yourself? And still went for class?" Buttercup asked incredulously.

Mitch briefly hesitated before answering, "Nah, convinced Rodney to skip class."

Buttercup shook her head, "You're the kind of kid parents shit on at PTA meetings."

"I try." Mitch smirked, taking pride in the title, Buttercup snorted. They reached Pablo's car right about the same time Kim did, said Asian girl had just been four cars over, discussing something seemingly important with Billy and Susie. She left her brother and his girlfriend once she saw Buttercup and Mitch nearing the others.

"Okay you guys go on ahead, Buttercup and I will fly over." Bunny said, once they were all present.

The sudden sound of revving engines and screeching car tires stole their conjunct attention. The ones who had to turn did so as they watched the two, now infamous, mustangs roll up the driveway.

The passenger window of the red one slid down as it rapidly approached, and Butch stuck his head out right before it whizzed past them. "Looking good dyke!" He jeered at Buttercup, his laughter fading as the car got farther away. Followed briskly by the black one that most likely housed Bear and Boomer.

Buttercup was already above the ground, ready to zip towards the car and wrench Butch out of it, then drag him across the fucking asphalt. It was a good thing her equally superpowered sister was there to hold her back.

"Buttercup! No! Forget him, he's just an idiot!" Bunny tried to calm her raging sister down, which she wasn't making easy by thrashing in Bunny's grip. The purple eyed Puff made sure to subdue her sister by wrapping her hands around her midsection.

They continued to struggle, with the others equally attempting to put Buttercup at ease, while being careful not to be on the end of one of her aimless kicks. After a few more minutes, their efforts proved successful. Bunny set her down, still latching onto her in-case she was being dishonest about her equanimity.

"I'm good." Buttercup growled viciously, but honestly. Bunny released her from her grip as Buttercup glared in the direction the cars had driven past.

"He even has good taste in cars," Pablo murmured with a sigh, Kim snapped to.

"What?"

"I said those guys are asshats," he lied.

"Major." Harry assented, mirroring Buttercup's sour look, said girl continued to bristle, only soothed by the comforting shoulder squeezes Bunny gave her.

"C'mon, let's hit it." Mitch said, issuing Buttercup a look that was mixed with both guilt and... actually it might have just been that.

As soon as they were off in Pablo's car, Bunny and Buttercup took to the air.

"That fucking piece of shit." Buttercup muttered as they flew above the school building. Bunny observed her sister, who continued to mumble irritably as they soared forward.

Harry's house—also Ravenhead's practice venue—was at max, a ten minute drive from school, meaning Bunny and Buttercup could have flown there in seconds, less. But they flew past it, or rather Bunny did, confusing Buttercup. She looked down at the house as it kept shrinking in her vision before looking up at Bunny who just kept moving. She followed her.

They soared over the suburbs in silence, absorbing the scenery. From the skate park which was already beginning to get littered with people, to the mini resort that was occupied by mostly adults, save for the pool. They ascended further, reaching the lowest level of the clouds, there was a flight flock hundreds of feet away from them, both girls slowed down even more as they savored the beauteous formation they crystallized.

Buttercup stared, then took off in their direction.

Bunny watched as her sister downscaled into a tiny dot, chuckling as the formation scattered, the birds dividing into batches in an attempt to avoid Buttercup's impact, though it was obvious she didn't intend to cause any damage.

The dot grew larger as Buttercup made her way back to Bunny's side, her perpetual frown having been replaced with a dinky smile.

Bunny shot forward, right into a cloud, dispersing it. Buttercup followed suit, and they suddenly kept at this for minutes. Up. Down. Left. Right, they zipped, soared, letting themselves get caught in the channels.

Buttercup was laughing now, so was Bunny. Then, like always, they clicked the same idea at the same time, upon looking at each other, they already knew. They floated as though they laid on their bellies, facing each other with ear-splitting grins before deactivating their X and fucking _dropping._

Their gleeful howls coalesced as they descended.

"Holy Fucking Shiiiiiit!" Buttercup bellowed exuberantly. Bunny laughed, endlessly, as the city rapidly rushed at them. They fell below the skyscraper, the high-rise hotels, the three story event centers. It wasn't until they were mere feet above the ground that they pushed forward through the streets—causing a few citizens to stop and point as they whizzed by—and launched themselves back into the air, cackling all the way.

They settled in the air, still laughing uncontrollably. Their laughter slowly faded into just chuckles as they essentially just hung there.

"Damn," Buttercup exhaled.

"Tell me about it," Bunny laughed, letting her eyes linger on Buttercup as she let out another laugh. "You good?" Bunny asked, Buttercup looked to her. Her smile already telling her answer.

" _So_ fucking good." She answered, and Bunny couldn't resist an open mouthed smile.

Though they had been doing so for all their lives, flying always did it for them, their gargantuan, obstacle-free playground. Like they'd told each other years ago, this was definitely the best thing Chemical X did for them, they wouldn't trade this for anything. Ever so often, if or when either one of them needed to unwind, they just took to the skies, sometimes beyond that, if they wanted to, because they could. They fucking _could_.

Buttercup chuckled with a shake of her head as she took in Bunny's expression.

"Don't get mopey on me now." She said, looking away from her sister who laughed softly. Buttercup's eyes then lit up and she turned back to Bunny with a sneer. "Race ya, bitch!" She declared, zooming off in the direction of Harry's house.

"Cheating ass bitch!" Bunny yelled before jetting towards Buttercup, their laughter withering into the all encompassing, sky blue canvas.

* * *

Olivia exited the basement slash laboratory, clad in much more home-friendly clothes as compared to a few hours ago. She glanced at her watch, the boys would be home any time from now.

She made a beeline for the living room, settling on the couch as she swiped the remote off the stool to the side. She switched the fifty-inch TV on, releasing an amused grunt as the screen exploded to life, displaying an absolute mammoth of a man hacking creatures that greatly resembled zombies to pieces.

She really had to get Butch a new laptop, so he could view these obscenities in his own privacy.

She wondered how their day had been, she'd asked Helen to ensure their abidance but she was well aware that would do little to hamper them if they truly decided to cause trouble. Although, she wasn't entirely worried about that, the request was made mostly, if not specifically for Butch.

Speaking of her boisterous, trouble-drawn son...

She heard the front door fly open with a bang against the wall, followed by a familiar enthusiastic bellow.

"MAMA!"

Olivia raised her elbows up as a hurling hump of teenage boy zipped into her lap, manifesting as Butch himself. "This movie is so fucking sick isn't it!?" He said, looking up from the TV to his smiling mom as she combed her fingers through his hair.

"I don't quite understand why he's using a giant fork as his weapon," Olivia answered.

"That's the crazy part! That way he punts like, five of 'em at once!"

Olivia chuckled as the rest of her sons shuffled into the living room, Bear plopped down next to her—not before throwing Butch's legs off the sofa—and heaved a sigh.

"The hell man!" Butch groused as his legs hit the floor, Bear ignored him.

Brick sat on the long sofa opposite his mom and brothers while Boomer stood in their middle, facing Olivia with a triumphant smile.

"You're looking at the newest member of Townsville High's Choir," Boomer preened, jocularly posing with his hands on his hips while he whipped his hair.

"You might as well cut off your penis at this point," Butch mocked, Olivia smacked him. He gave her a solemn look that dissolved at her hard eyes. "Okay. Okay. That's... agh. That's, cool Boom," Butch said, audibly struggling to do so.

Boomer sniggered, "Like I give a fuck what you think. You're gonna be the one begging me to buy you a house in a few years."

"Did you boys make any friends?" Olivia asked, adjusting as Butch opted to sit on the floor, right beneath her so she could still pet his hair.

"Tons!" Boomer exclaimed.

"Think I've got a whole partner now." Butch laughed.

Three sets of eyes shot at him.

"Partner?" Olivia, Brick and Bear echoed in suspicion.

Butch blanked, eyes flicking between the three of them, before settling on Boomer. "Wanna go rip those Call Of Duty zombies a new one?" He smirked.

"Hell yeah!" Boomer shrieked.

And with that they both bolted up the stairs to Butch's room.

Olivia shook her head, though her smile lingered. She turned to the less jovial half of the Rowdyruffs, Brick's gaze seared into the the cubical cushion between the sofas, like it had done him some great disservice.

"How was _your_ day sweetie?"

"I hate this place," he immediately said. Olivia's smile fell, Bear looked down from the ceiling to his scowling brother. "I hate it." He repeated, his frown deepening.

Olivia adapted a similar expression, genuinely concerned. "Brick, honey, you have to—"

"I know, mom," Brick cut her off, gently. "I know."

They'd already discussed this two weeks ago, he didn't quite desire another lecture. He understood that he would just have to suck it up, but understanding aggravatingly did very little for his anger.

He hastily stood, adjusting his cap as he exited the living room without sparing his mom or brother a glance. Olivia watched him amble up the stairs, sighing once he went beyond her field of vision.

"He'll be fine," Bear said. "Brick's always pissy when he doesn't get what he wants, he'll get over it." He tried to assure her.

Olivia gave him a dainty smile, resting her elbow on the top of the sofa and pulling her legs up on it.

"Well, you're up. How was your day?" She inquired.

Bear shrugged, returning his gaze back to the ceiling. Olivia waited for a response, but he just continued to gaze upwards, as though counting the bulbs on the chandelier.

She considered her next question carefully. "How about... did you talk to her?"

"Bunny?" He said. Surprising her as he spoke her name, she studied his features, but even she could never precisely decipher his expressions all the time.

"Yes." She opted to answer simply. He inhaled slowly, and exhaled even slower.

"No, I didn't." He replied.

"Did you want to?"

"Not particularly,"

"Did _she_ want to?"

That stumped him, he tore his eyes away from the glimmering lights and looked at her. She was looking right into his eyes. He thought back, when they got to school she was staring at him unabashedly, which had unnerved him somewhat. He couldn't see her once he sat down in French class, they didn't even look each other's way doing lunch.

There was no... the time was just never right.

Bear blinked, then blinked again, before averting his glance, to his knees this time.

"I'm not sure," he said, "I don't think so."

Olivia wasn't sure why, or how. But his response had given her the real answer. She smiled, reaching for his shoulder and massaging it gently.

"Oh, honey. For all your intelligence, you still have male nescience."

Bear whirred an offended look at her, to which she laughed.

She retracted her hand, placing her head against her now closed palm, "Talk to her, okay?"

Bear had done a lot of blinking in the last few minutes. He stared at her silently, then allowed himself slide down the sofa so he could stretch out his legs and resume bulb counting.

* * *

John tensed as he observed Blossom dig into her pasta, literally. She was making no attempts to scoop it into her mouth, and was instead repeatedly stabbing into the plate of sauce topped, slithery noodles.

The rest of her sisters also furtively watched her in silence, the constant clinking of her fork as it met the marble was hard to ignore in any case.

 _'What's wrong with your sister?'_ John asked once he felt the link established. Blossom being the only one exempted, for obvious reasons.

 _'Anybody got any ideas?'_ Buttercup asked.

 _'Usually she only gets like this if she bombs a test,'_ Bunny said.

Buttercup scoffed. _'When was the last time_ that _happened?'_

 _'Did she have run-in with any of the boys or something?'_ Bubbles pitched in.

John's face contorted in anger. _'Boys? What boys?!'_

 _'The Rowdyruff Boys dad,'_ Buttercup rolled her eyes.

 _'No, she couldn't have. None of them are in the AP classes, and the boys all have the early lunch,'_ Bunny answered Bubbles.

 _'Well,'_ John said in a strained voice, refraining from his constantly nagging impulse to forbid his girls from being within ten feet of any and all boys. _'Then what could possibly be wro—'_

"The nerve of that bumptious... _DELINQUENT!_ " Blossom griped, actually cracking the plate with the clink that punctuated her outburst.

Her family looked from her, to the nearly split plate, and back. "Who does he think he is?!" Blossom shrieked, discarding her fork on the table. "He stalks around like he's some sort of Providence! And the way he _looks_ at you, like you're something he scraped from under his shoe!" She continued to yell, clenching and releasing her fists repeatedly.

Her sisters simply stared, cautious now, she looked on the verge of breaking something. John's palm tightened around his mug.

"Nobody wanted him back here, he made that decision _himself._ So he doesn't exactly have the license to complain about it!"

It was fair to say they all knew who she was talking about—there went Bunny's theory—at this point. If so, it would be ill-advised to highlight the fact their arrival was due to Olivia's promotion, John thought with a grimace.

"I just want to... RGH!" She growled. An abrupt silence permeated the room as Blossom ceased yelling. So quiet that the sound of the ticking clock became very prominent.

Her sisters and father looked between each other, electing who would be the one to poke the beast. Eventually, three pairs of eyes landed on Bunny. She glared at them as they collectively jerked their heads in Blossom's direction.

Her face fell in capitulation, she turned to her bristling sister. "Um... Bloss, who are you talking about?"

Blossom muttered an unintelligible response. "What?" Bunny pushed.

"Brick," she said, coherently. "I'm talking about Brick." She practically spat out his name. She finally looked to see their heedful looks and heaved an apologetic sigh. "I'm sorry, he's just so..." she paused, then shook her head with a frown. "Nothing, I'm sorry."

Buttercup scoffed, "You don't have to be. If he's anything like that brother of his, your reaction is completely warranted." She suddenly leaned over the table, shadowing her food in the process as she faced Blossom, her expression utterly grave. "Wanna pummel 'em?"

"Buttercup!" John reprimanded.

"They deserve it!" She defended, swiveling to him. "Butch sure as hell does."

John's reproachful expression only hardened at her language, and Buttercup settled down, frowning in apology.

"You know, I'd have put my money on Buttercup being the one to throw a tantrum at dinner," Bubbles said conversationally. Blossom had resumed picking at her food, though less violently.

"You can thank Dr. Bunny for that one," Bunny said, raising her hand for emphasis.

"Besides, I don't throw tantrums sister. I break skulls." Buttercup corrected, envisioning it. Her hands grabbing either side of Butch's head and compacting it until it popped like a wine filled, meat stuffed pinata. She almost exhaled a moan. Beautiful.

"Girls."

John's voice carried an End-All-Conversation-And-Listen tone that was usually reserved for scolding. With this in mind, they ceased their conversation and looked to him obediently, "I don't want you girls getting into any trouble with the Rowdyruff Boys," he said, oddly somber as he did so.

"Dad, we have better things to do than—"

"I'm serious." John interjected, and Buttercup clamped her mouth shut.

"But dad, they could be hatching something sinister! Let's not pretend like we don't know—"

"No, they're not," he cut off yet another one of them, Blossom's expression was somewhere in-between a pout and a frown.

"Listen girls, I know I've never been quite... thorough about Olivia Venus, but..." he paused, taking time to look all of them square in the eyes. "I know the woman, she's not an evil person. Nowhere near it... she gave those boys a life, it wouldn't be fair for you to still treat them like criminals." He said.

After meeting Olivia this morning, he'd done a lot of ruminating. As well as talked to Helen over the phone. And as much as he was distrustful of the boys, he trusted Liv. Given that she had parented them for a little over five years now, his trust should have naturally extended to the Boys. But, he wasn't quite inclined to do that yet.

The girls stared at him, not knowing what to make of his attestation. "Alright?" He asked to ensure.

They looked between each other briefly, then collectively said "Okay, dad." Though, Blossom's voice distinctly came in last.

John looked down at his plate, almost empty. That would take him for the night. "Okay girls, I have a bit of work to catch up on," he said, standing. "You girls remember to clean up alright? Goodnight."

"Goodnight," they echoed as he left the table, taking his mug with him. The girls watched as he disappeared around the kitchen door, and a few seconds later they heard as the door to the lab clicked closed.

"Why is he so... why does he get like that every time he talks about that chick?" Buttercup said, tearing her eyes away from the door.

"How are we supposed to know? He never tells us anything about her," Bunny answered in a low voice, her expression unreadable, but her tone carried a faint lick of ire.

Bubbles was very aflutter all of a sudden, like the rest of her sisters, she'd taken note of how Olivia Venus's name alone was a trigger for their father's despondency. Her eyes were still at the door he'd exited through.

"Hey, are you okay Blossom?" She heard Buttercup ask. She turned to see both Buttercup and Bunny looking at Blossom, who's eyes were riveted to her still full plate.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

They decided to change the topic, Bunny took the initiative and launched into her day at auditions, and how they still hadn't found anyone good enough, especially with Wes as the standard. Buttercup pitched in as she had been present, Bubbles talked about cheerleading tryouts as well, Blossom offered little to nothing to the conversation.

In a few minutes they were done with their food, for the most part. Blossom immediately retreated to her room, Bunny offered to clean up but would only do so with help, then Bubbles and Buttercup proceeded to engage in a K.O game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, which the former lost.

Buttercup cackled as she made her way upstairs, rubbing salt in the wounds. Bubbles frowned as she stood in-front of the sink, sponging circles on the plates. Bunny worked behind her, scrubbing the island.

"You never said if you ran into any of them," Bubbles said, sparking conversation. Bunny looked up, "Oh. Well, I had one class with Bear and one with Butch," she grimaced as she recalled History with the latter, who'd spent virtually the whole period openly gawking at her. "Buttercup's not exaggerating by the way, he's a pig."

"His name's Bear?" Bubbles asked—ignoring the second part of Bunny's statement all-together as a form of assent—as she racked up the dishes.

"Yeah," Bunny said, momentarily dropping the towel rug as she lifted glasses off the island and headed for the cabinets.

"That's cute." Bubbles chuckled, killing the water.

Bunny responded with a noncommittal chuckle of her own, closing the cabinet that now encased the glasses. "How about you? You're not throwing any tantrums so I guess you successfully avoided them."

"Actually," Bubbles said, ripping out of the paper towel to dry her hands. "I had Choir with Boomer."

"He's already in your ensemble?" Bunny said, unmistakably impressed. She hopped up and onto the island, sitting and facing Bubbles.

Bubbles turned, expertly hurling the crunched up paper towel into the bin at the corner of the kitchen table. "Yeah, he's really good. Kinda shocked me to be honest," she looked up at Bunny, gripping the edge of the sink she leaned against. "You know he paints his nails?"

"Oh?" Bunny arched a brow, Bubbles nodded.

"Well, I bet those boys are full of surprises," Bunny said almost yonderly, looking past Bubbles at, well, nothing.

The blonde let out an audible breath, her eyes dropping to her shoes. "Things just took a crazy turn didn't they?"

Bunny found herself back in French class, trying to will her words into existence as she stared into Bear's back, no, the back of his head.

"Yup," she nodded, refocusing on Bubbles who simultaneously looked back up at her.

"Gonna be one hell of a school year."

_~End: Ch. 1~_


	2. Nice To Finally Meet You

**II - Nice To Finally Meet You \- ** _Zed_

Tuesday served as a sort of reality check for the Girls, having arrived school just as the Boys exited their cars.

Unlike yesterday though, only brief glances were exchanged between them, save for the smirk Butch thew Buttercup's way to which she clenched her teeth but reserved any outburst. Boomer gave Bubbles a signature smile as well, eliciting an awkward smile from her in return.

Bunny was excited for World Music class, she'd meant to enroll last year but had her hands full with the band and World Literature. Now having dropped the latter she found both her academic and social schedule convenient enough to take the class. If only she'd known how the first few days of Junior High were going to play out, she'd have beat herself with some clown make-up before registering.

Bunny fiddled with her pen abashedly, channeling a significant amount of focus on the board, resolute in her effort to look anywhere, _anywhere_ but her right. Where Bear was seated, _directly_ beside her. She'd arrived the class early, as she tended to do, there were about three, four people present when she entered, naturally leaving multiple seats free for occupation, which everyone and anyone was entitled to, of-course.

But Bunny had found it just a tad bit disorienting when Bear emerged through the doors—about forty seconds after she had—scanned the classroom, spotted Bunny, immediately claimed the seat right next to her, and said _nothing_. It was as if the universe had taken some unforeseen, sadistic interest in unequivocally fucking with her, or maybe Bear had. Or worse yet, maybe they were cohorts in the matter.

Why would he do that? Why would he sit by her side if he didn't intend to talk to her?

 _Maybe he's just waiting for class to start. You know, like a normal person_ , she'd told herself, but dismissed the thought right after. There was nothing normal about their situation, right? There was history, if not between them, definitely surrounding them and he hadn't addressed it.

She was aware she shared that responsibility, but...

She inwardly sighed.

But nothing, from where she stood, she was the one who this was eating up inside, she was the one who had to confront him. But _Jesus_ was his presence nerve-wracking, his indiscernible expression didn't help matters. At some point during class she caught him looking at her through her peripheral vision and nearly snapped her pen in half.

She had to restrain herself from whizzing out the door once the bell went. She instead limpidly gathered her things in a manner she hoped epitomized composure. She reached back to grab her book tote and heard him shuffle to his feet. She looked back up in time to see him exit the class without so much as a glance in her direction.

She blinked at the open door as people continuously walked through it, before groaning and taking her face in her hands. Why was she being so God damn _weird_ about this?

"Bunny?"

She parted her fingers just enough to see through them and realized it was Mr. Zuberi who'd called her attention from behind his desk. He looked at one of his brightest students with a worried expression. "Is everything alright?"

Bunny dropped her hands, revealing her vacant visage. She was assured then, that this situation was really pestering her, when in that moment, she'd actually considered revealing her current dilemma to her teacher.

She nodded instead, the emptiness in her features prevalent. "I'm fine Mr. Z", she slung her tote over her shoulder and stood up, realizing she was the last one left in the class. Those who had this second period were already filing in. She threw him a hesitant smile as she made her way to the door.

"Thank you for asking."

* * *

 _You've got to be kidding me_ , Blossom thought from her position seated in-front of her black canvas, eyes on a concentrated Brick next to her.

For the myriad of knowledge that Blossom had at her disposal, she couldn't conjure up any logical reason as to why Brick, _Brick_ , of all people, was seated in this class. What portfolio could _he_ have _possibly_ submitted to place him in Art IV instantly? She watched as he sketched into his drawing pad before pausing to look at his canvas, angling his head at it, and grabbing his eraser.

The gears in her head spun frantically as she tried to make sense of this. She pictured the five year old miscreant who had taken pleasure in mass vandalism. The boy who prided himself on inane exploits like stealing candy. And now she pitted that mental picture against the boy seated beside her, applying shade to his sketch. She practically heard her brain glitch in protest. This was nothing short of absurd, and Blossom was so enwrapped by this unorthodoxy that she'd ended up pointedly staring at him rather than at the work in-front of her.

"Really," he suddenly said, startling her and disrupting her train of thought. "Do you _really_ , not have anything better to do than peer at me like some sort of owl." He said, glaring at her for emphasis.

Blossom blinked at him, then steeled her eyes once she'd collected herself. "I'm sorry, I just find it incredibly unimaginable that a villainous person like yourself could have anything even remotely resembling of art in them."

She made out just the faintest tightening of his jaw. He leaned forward slightly, lip curling in anger as he growled, "You don't know _anything_ about me."

She matched his tone. "I know _exactly_ who you are."

"Is there a problem?"

They both looked up to Ms. Wilson standing over both of them, a reproachful brow raised.

Blossom gave Brick one last glare for good measure before she huffed and returned her attention to her canvas. "No Ms. Wilson, I apologize."

The woman gave them a once over, before walking past them as she continued to inspect the students' work. Brick let his glare on Blossom linger, wishing more than anything in that moment that he could sear a few lasers into her _stupid_ face. Maybe that would get her to Shut The Fuck Up.

She didn't bother looking back at him, and with a grunt, he turned back to his drawing pad.

* * *

"Like it's not enough that he's a disgusting fucking jackass! He's also a disgusting fucking, _perverted_ jackass." Buttercup hissed through gritted teeth, her unfortunate soda can taking all the punishment as she squished it with every word, until it was nothing more than a thin clump of dripping metal. Mitch and Harry—who were on either side of her—had shifted their food the instant she began ranting about Butch, intent on avoiding the raindrops of Mountain Dew that erupted from the object in her hand.

"He literally spent all of gym drooling over the girls, and then when we get on the court he starts throwing raunchy comments at my teammates who _totally encourage_ him!"

Bunny gently pulled the crushed can out of Buttercup's hands, foreseeing her reflexively throwing it at someone.

"Those dudes stealin' all the attention now man," Harry said begrudgingly. "You should'a heard the way girls were talkin' about 'em in Algebra."

"You gotta admit man, it's damn near impossible to compete against guys with freakin' superpowers," Mitch said, placating Harry.

"Brick's so _tall_ and _dark_ and _mysterious_. What about Bear? That tattoo on his neck? I would _definitely_ have his babies." Kim sighed with beaming eyes, parodying the comments she'd come across herself.

"Bear has a tattoo on his neck?!" Bunny and Pablo echoed, the former less dramatically than the latter.

"What, does it say 'Douchebag' in cursive?" Buttercup scoffed.

"I even heard they're _all_ on the Male Hottie list," Harry continued to pout.

"No surprise there," Pablo gave a variant of his many sighs.

"Seriously? When was it updated?" Kim said incredulously, she never missed the memo.

"Can we fucking talk about something else," Mitch diverted, turning to Bunny. "Battle of the Bands?"

Bunny snapped a finger. "Damn. That's Friday night."

"We might have to dip if we don't find somebody today," Harry pointed out.

"No, we won't." Bunny scolded, waving a finger at him. "I'll play the guitar if I have to, but that's plan B."

"Aren't you guys going to need time to practice?" Buttercup asked, grabbing a bunch of Mitch's fries from his tray. He didn't bat an eye.

"Anyone as good as Wes would nail our original songs in a couple days," Bunny assured.

"Starting to doubt we're actually going to find anyone as good as him at this rate. Like, ten people auditioned yesterday."

"There's always some Hendrix wannabe F'ing around somewhere." Buttercup countered Kim in a rare show of optimism.

Her gaze soared aimlessly then as she munched, until it landed on a table about five or so tables over them, practically at the end of the cafeteria. Buttercup scowled at the occupants.

Bear met her icy glare with a jaded gaze, Brick followed Bear's line of sight, frowning upon seeing who was in it. Both their brothers followed his motion and swiveled to face that direction. Butch sneered through a full mouth of chips while Boomer simply turned back to his brothers, after noticeably reviewing the table.

"You and Brick should have like, an official Death Stare battle or something," Kim chuckled at Buttercup, who was too occupied trying to apportion the intensity of her glare equally between all four brothers.

Pablo averted his eyes to avoid subconsciously lingering. "I can't _see_ it from here!" He cried, indignant. "What does it look like? I need you to be intricately descriptive,"

"About what? His tattoo?" Kim rose a brow.

Pablo rolled his eyes. "No, his 'personality'. Of-course his tattoo!"

"That has to tell you a lot about why you suck at relationships right?" Mitch smirked at him, Pablo warded him off with a "Shut up."

"Man, you don't even know if he's into dudes or not," Harry said, giving Pablo a deadpan, to which he simply reiterated his defensive jibe.

Bunny drowned them out, even as Mitch began to appeal to Buttercup to chill out. Her eyes peered straight ahead, past random heads of hair littering her view, past Butch's predacious smile, past Brick's cold glare—though he'd looked away from them at that moment—and right into Bear's eyes.

He stared back, keeping her there. Her reflexive thought was to flick her eyes away, but this was as far as they'd come in the way of any sort of progress, she didn't want to be the one to ruin it. He looked like he was contemplating something, like he was trying to tell her something without having to speak. Her nerves spiked a tad but she was determined not to break this contact.

He didn't carry the same conviction.

He tore his eyes away from her abruptly, letting them focus on Boomer instead. _He_ ruined it.

She looked away just as fast, feeling she was woken from some sort of trance. She had a quick look around her table to see if she was being observed, but Harry thankfully had everyone occupied with another one of his questionable tales. All save for Pablo, who was looking at her with a bothered expression.

Bunny twitched a smile at him, chancing a hopeful look back at the Boys' table, but Bear was indulging his brothers in conversation now. She looked away and grabbed her soda.

"Man, what does a guy need to do to get a looker like that in a backseat?" Butch smirked, peeling his eyes from Bunny back to his brothers.

"In your case? Faultlessly strategized blackmail." Brick said dryly.

Butch obtained a thoughtful look, humming in consideration before facing Brick. "Remind me to ask you about that later" he said. Brick shook his head in contempt.

"The Girls don't really strike me as the type" Boomer chuckled. "They've got that whole 'superhero' image about them."

"Yeah, right." Butch scoffed. "Like you can't tell that Buttercup gets _real_ cozy in the locker rooms" He jeered.

"You really think Buttercup's the type to sneak guys in there?" Boomer said, incredulous.

"Maybe she doesn't need to do any sneaking." Bear offered, sipping his soda.

Butch and Boomer whirled on him, confusion painting their features before realization slowly crawled in.

Butch smirked. "Now _that_ I'm fucking certain of." He laughed. Boomer arched his brows in a way that said Oh, Damn.

"If so, she needs to get at it more often. I can't imagine the amount of repressed stress she harbors." Brick said, briefly glancing Buttercup's way. She glared back up him as though sensing his gaze.

"You found a dealer yet?" Bear asked Butch. He didn't typically smoke marijuana, and he certainly wasn't as big of an enthusiast as his brother, but he imagined it was going to take him a while to get his hands on his preferred intoxicant. He would manage. As of right now...

He stole a look at the table again, instantly averting his eyes once he registered Bunny's own orbs moving back to him.

Right now, he just really needed to relax.

"Right, shit! Gonna pound it 'outta Mitch today" Butch said, popping a handful of Lays in his mouth.

"You better. We're gonna need it" Boomer beamed. His brothers all turned to him.

"What the hell are you scheming?" Brick growled, narrowing his eyes at Boomer in warning.

"And why the hell did you scheme it without me?" Butch said, feigning anguish.

"Chill out," Boomer said, to Brick in particular. "Would you guys rather be sober at the Battle of the Bands?" He pointedly inquired.

"Oh, yeah, heard about that shit. Hm, an event packed with hotties and barely any adult supervision," Butch said, smirking at the prospect.

"Heard some of the bands here are pretty sick!" Boomer's said with a smile etched across his face. "We should totally go."

"Waste my Friday night listening to a set of mediocre, rock-star wannabes blaring noise pollution?" Brick said, pocketing his phone. "I'll pass."

"You make Squidward look like he farts rainbows. Do you know that?" Boomer said, pouting grumpily at Brick.

"Work on your material Boom," Brick dismissed in a bored tone, standing up. "I'll catch you guys later."

Boomer frowned at him as he left the table. Butch and Bear nodded at him distractedly. "Wouldn't mind staying home and writing a bit honestly." Bear said to Boomer, almost apologetically.

"Oh c'mon! Not you too? I even heard one of the Girls is on that night," Boomer said, in an attempt to hook Bear in.

"I really couldn't care le—"

"Wait, which one of them? My future baby mama?" Butch asked.

Boomer rolled his eyes. "Yeah, your future baby mama" he said, and Bear suddenly felt his mouth go dry. "Haven't you guys seen the posters on the notice boards?"

"Like that illuminant smile and those _hips_ aren't enough, the woman can sing!" Butch sang himself, rather discordantly. Bear continued trying to amass saliva. "I wonder what _other_ kinds of music she can make" Butch sniggered.

Boomer snickered at Butch's decadency despite himself. "Well, you aren't gonna find out if they don't find a new guitarist." He said. Now Bear was basically frozen.

"They're looking for a guitarist?" Bear almost croaked out, wanting a reaffirmation.

"Yeah," Boomer answered, then it _hit_ him, right across the head. He smiled broadly at Bear. "Yeah, they are."

Bear blinked. He cast his eyes down to the table as he processed this new information.

"Man, I fucking suck at the guitar. You think I could get in with the armpit?" Butch said, slipping his hand under his shirt and placing it around said region, flapping experimentally.

Bear mostly ignored him, still boring holes into the plain white of the table. He looked back up to find Boomer still beaming at him knowingly.

* * *

"To the _right_ , the only thing going left should be your arm. That's the only way you'll pop right, you guys are looking like a spasm circus!"

Bubbles felt a little bad for the girls trying out as Clara bellowed out instructions and singled out offenders. This was most likely going to be the last day of tryouts, with aid from her and Robin, Clara had already sifted out most of them. There were just three spots available on the team, and just six girls left, so none of them were intent on letting this opportunity slip through their fingers. And being the Nazi of a Captain she was, Clara wasn't going to settle for anything short of preeminence.

"Girls, help me out." Clara called to Bubbles and Robin who were either side of her. The auditioners shuffled back until they were nearly at the middle of the Basketball court. The three girls already on the squad backed them.

"Watch our feet ladies" Clara instructed as she snapped a three-count and shifted into motion, in unison with Bubbles and Robin.

The blonde Puff felt the reflexive smile that bedecked her face upon performance rise. Ever since she'd joined the team during freshman year, it'd been apparent that she was the best on the squad, even back then. Many supposed it was natural, what with her having a significant genetic advantage and all, but that was not to undermine her intense work rate. And even more than that, she'd been dancing for as long as she remembered, cheer aside, she'd been magnetized by the artistry of dance since she was a toddler.

She'd nagged her dad ceaselessly to get her enrolled in Ballet classes, and that had only been the beginning. She spent the following years learning Hip-Hop, Latin and had just recently riveted on Ballroom. All in all she'd been dancing for close to ten years, and that was evident whenever she took to the court or the field with her teammates.

She stepped into a finishing position, her arms and legs alike spread evenly. "Got it? Alright, from the top" Clara ordered, walking back to the benches as the auditioners stepped forward.

"The whole routine is a four-step. Try counting in your head before popping out your arm" Bubbles advised in a much less direful tone compared to her captain. The girls all indicated their understanding and got into position as Clara rose her fingers to snap a count again. Just as she began, the doors to the gymnasium swung open forcefully, all the girls present turned to see who'd so boisterously interrupted them.

Bubbles' eyes widened in horror as Boomer sauntered in, whistling nonchalantly. He caught sight of the girls and ceased forcing air through his puckered lips to throw Bubbles a simper from across the court.

"What the hell is that guy doing?" Clara said in exasperation. If Boomer saw her piercing, malicious gaze, he ignored it outright.

"Uh... Bubbles?" Robin turned to her friend with a confused expression, Bubbles groaned.

Boomer halted his approach at the light blue streak that jetted towards him. It came to a stop right in-front of him and Bubbles materialized with a muffled expression on her face.

"Boomer. What are you doing here?" She asked warily.

Boomer recovered from her hasty confrontation and smiled down at her. "I heard you were at cheerleading tryouts. Vice-Captain huh?"

"...Yeah," she replied slowly, the puzzled look that adorned her face only growing. She glanced back at the girls who were all looking her way. "So... what are you doing here, exactly?" she said as she turned back to him.

"Well, I wanted I was hoping to run into you in the hallway but, since I heard you were here I wanted to come tell you myself."

"Come tell me what?"

He rose his phone that was clutched in his right hand and cocked his head at her with a smile. "You didn't text me back."

Bubbles furrowed her brow, giving him a disbelieving look. _"_ No way _. That's_ why you came here? You came to tell me to text you back?"

"Well, yeah. It's pretty rude not to reply people's texts yunno," Boomer said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He spoke up again right before she could say a word, "We need to get started on our assignment, we haven't even picked a song."

Bubbles stared at him, she sighed as she begrudgingly admitted that he was right. She'd seen his texts yesterday, all of them, she'd just... well frankly she didn't know why she hadn't responded, but it just felt weird. Didn't this feel weird to him? He was acting like they'd been going to school together for years, like once a upon a time he hadn't tried to kill her and her sisters repeatedly.

Boomer snapped a finger in her face and she blinked, just now putting him into focus. "So what are you saying?" he asked, looking at her as though _she_ was the strange one.

"Well, I have to be here for a while so, how about tomorrow?"

"Cool! My place or yours?" he asked the instant she answered.

She briskly but delicately gauged the prospect of Boomer coming to her house and the inevitability of him meeting her dad. She instantly decided that, although they weren't exactly friends, she wasn't going to be the one to condemn him to that fate.

"Yours." She nodded, subconsciously wary about being in a residence where all the Rowdyruff Boys could be present. But really, she wasn't certain that Boomer would remain the same after encountering her dad and having a 'friendly talk' with him.

"Settled then, we'll head there together after school" he cheered. Bubbles had started to tell him to just send the location and she'd just meet him there but he was already walking back towards the doors. She found herself just staring at his retreating form.

She let out a sigh and was in the process of turning to walk back to the girls until Boomer spun abruptly. "Goodluck guys!" he howled encomiasticly to the auditioners, before issuing Bubbles one last grin and pushing the doors open, launching back into a rhythmic whistle.

Bubbles blinked, then made her over to where the girls were waiting. "What was that about?" Robin asked as she reached them. Bubbles waved it off.

"Nothing, he's just weird" she answered dismissively.

"Ain't that the truth" Clara assented, throwing the doors Boomer had just exited through one last muddled glance before redirecting her attention back to the girls in-front of her.

Bubbles gave the doors a protracted gaze and did the same.

* * *

Buttercup fiddled with her locker combination, mindlessly bopping to the Trap that assaulted her ears via her Headphones. She dumped her books in to it aimlessly and shut it, unfazed when Mitch was revealed to be standing just behind it, leaning on the locker next to hers. She slid her headphones down to her neck and arched a brow.

"What's up?"

"The ten bucks you owe me bitch." Mitch's smirk was cocky as he opened his palm. Buttercup gave him a bored look and folded her arms.

"You're the one who owes _me_ ten bucks, moron." She corrected.

Mitch's smugness fell into absolute bemusement. He stared off into the distance, trying to recollect the authenticity of her claim. "Oh, shit." he said, remembering.

"Lay off the weed Mitchelson" Buttercup said reproachfully as she started for the gymnasium. He fell into step beside her.

"That's like telling Bugs Bunny to quit eating carrots, dude would get withdrawals and murder Daffy or something" Mitch sneered, lightly shoving her shoulder with his. "Give me ten bucks anyway?"

She immediately dug into her pocket, fumbling around for a bit and drawing out the monetized paper Mitch requested for.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, plucking it out of the hand she held up to him. "So what's got you ticked off... today?" he asked noting her sour demeanor.

"The fact that I have to share a court with Butch" she spat.

Mitch's sneer faltered, he looked away from her, suddenly interested in the laces of his sneakers. "Yunno, maybe he isn't as much of a dick as you peg him to be" he said in an uncharacteristically small voice.

Buttercup shot him a look. "What do _you_ know about him?"

"Nothing," he answered, a little too quickly, she thought. "M' just saying, you really wanna walk around pissed off all the time 'cause he's... existing?"

The girl grunted. "He's done more than _exist_ since he got here." her face darkened. "He fucking ticks me off, on _purpose_. I swear if he makes one more bloody dyke jokes I'm gonna rip his God damn arms off."

Mitch watched her warily as her face contorted in indignation, he coughed when he found that he lacked a response.

"Well, uh, I gotta go meet up with the gang. Take it easy okay?" he said, slowing as she progressed forward. She listlessly nodded her head in response, bumping fists with him without looking.

Mitch exhaled a breath and rerouted to the doors, coursing through the crowd that was moving in one unit to the nearest exits. He emerged through the front doors and skipped down the steps, Bunny and the others were probably in Pablo's usual parking spot.

Suddenly there was an arm hooked behind his neck, he was so startled that he nearly toppled over himself. He turned to look at who might as well have been his assailant. He glared scathingly at them.

"Could you fucking stop creeping on me like that?" Mitch groused. Butch cackled.

"You're like a fucking bobcat. I'm surprised I haven't got you shittin' bricks yet" Butch smirked. Mitch ducked under Butch's arm, freeing himself from his hold.

"Fuck you. The hell do you want?" Mitch inquired, rubbing his neck tenderly.

"I haven't had a proper high in weeks. Any longer and I'm gonna go nuts, hook me up with your fucking dealer." Butch said beseechingly, slapping Mitch's back in a twisted act of suasion.

"Alright alright!" the brunette cried, swatting away Butch's hand. He slowed instinctively, coming to a full on stop when he tapped on a certain number.

Butch equally came to a stop, leaning on one of the cars they currently stood in-between. He cocked his head as Mitch placed his phone against his ear, after a few rings a voice spoke on the other end of the line.

"Ma brotha! What up fool?" With his superhearing, Butch could hear it perfectly.

"S' all good Rex. I got a customer for you." A prolonged exchange ensued between Mitch and this Rex persona. After Mitch ensured him he wasn't sending a weasel his way—Butch had scowled in offense—he agreed to meet Butch in a specific alley downtown.

"You're a life saver asshole," Butch grinned in thanks, bumping fists with Mitch as he pushed off the car. He was about to launch himself into the air right when Mitch called for him to wait. "What?" Butch asked, his voice laden with impatience.

Mitch pocketed his hands, not really looking at Butch. "You should... ease up on Buttercup dude. Seriously, you've put her in a shit mood ever since you got here."

"The fuck?" Butch frowned. " _That's_ what you wanted to tell me?"

Mitch met his gaze then, blinking in mild surprise. "I mean... yeah." he said.

Butch snorted, "Whatever man. I'll lay off your girlfriend."

 _"She's not my girlfriend asshat!"_ Mitch cried, but Butch was already in the air, his laughter fading into the skies.

* * *

Bear stared at the two guitars hanging from his wall, he'd been doing so for close to ten minutes. His eyes particularly fixated on the electric.

He'd driven straight home once school had let out, not waiting for either of his brothers. Brick was the only one besides him who had come home either way. He'd briefly contemplated where Boomer could be or what he would still be doing at school, doubtlessly assured that Butch was scouring the city for a plug now.

His eyes moved from the guitar to the poster in his hands, scrutinizing the raven bust with a pair of X's where its eyes should have been, topped off with a crown shaped flame on its head. Under it, printed in bold letters read: Looking For Guitarist. He let his eyes roam further down to the edge of the poster where the address where auditions would be taking place was outlined in diminutive letters. There was a row of other information he was otherwise uninterested in.

He glanced back to the customized Ibanez that hung in-front of him, gave it a protracted look, and stood, folding the poster and stuffing it into his back pocket.

"Fuck it." he muttered as he grabbed his guitar by the neck, unhooked it from the wall and slung it over his shoulder.

He shut his door behind him and floated down the stairs, pausing when he heard some shuffling in the kitchen. He suddenly decided he wanted to drink some water.

He stalked in to see Brick leaning against the counter beside the microwave with his arms folded. He inclined his head in greeting as he opened the fridge. Brick grunted a response, his eyes landing on Bear's back.

"Where are you going?" he inquired.

The poster rose out of Bear's pocket and floated over to Brick as Bear gulped the H2O straight from the bottle. Brick picked the poster from the air and unfurled it.

"You want to join a band?" Brick asked incredulously. He'd seen this poster on the notice boards, and due to the never ending chatter that permeated the school grounds, he also knew the members of the band. Well, a member, specifically.

"Is that strange somehow?" Bear retorted, tossing the empty bottle into the bin without turning.

"Not so much the fact that you want to play music, but the fact that you're usually inclined to go about that yourself," Brick folded the poster and held it up, releasing it as Bear willed it to float back to him.

"There's... significant motivation behind this." Bear answered, pocketing the poster.

"The Puff?"

"Bunny." Bear corrected, starting to turn. "And yeah. Her."

The microwave dinged, Brick pulled it open. "Sounds more like something Butch would do."

Without missing a beat. "If he had any iota of musical talent, he would probably be auditioning too." Bear replied, almost out the door frame now.

"What exactly do you hope to achieve by talking to her?"

Brick's question made him halt just before he was out of sight. Brick waited for a response, but all he got was an eventual shrug, then Bear was gone. The front door clicked closed seconds later.

* * *

Bunny's frown wasn't one of anger. No. If one looked closely enough, they would see that her knitted eyebrows and thin-lined lips were an externalization of near head-splitting frustration.

The boy who'd just wrapped up his audition clutched the neck of his guitar anxiously, awaiting the band's verdict.

Bunny managed a strained smile. "We'll... we'll get back to you."

The boy looked from her to her band mates, scattered across the garage. Equally issuing him smiles that were more consoling than congratulatory.

"Yeah, okay, alright." he nodded politely and exited the area. Bunny let out a heavy sigh once he was out of ear shot.

"What was that guy even doing here?" Mitch said, his smile fading into a more genuine look of perturbation.

"Don't be mean, he's definitely an amateur but he wasn't _that_ bad," Kim said from Mitch's side, letting herself sink into the ramshackle sofa.

"'Not that bad' still leaves you guys without a guitarist." Pablo said unapologetically, swinging down on the rack toms with Mitch's drumsticks.

Harry was the only one standing. "Well, that's everybody. In other words, we're fucked," he pouted, walking over to meet them.

With a despondent exhale, "Maybe we should just start practicing with me on the guitar," Bunny said, frowning.

"Hey, any solution that involves getting Pablo to stop agonizing my ear drums is welcome by me." Mitch said, glaring at the boy in subject for good measure.

Pablo responded by launching into a solo.

His friends voiced their chargin, shielding their ears in an effort to occlude the cacophonous sounds that Pablo assaulted them with.

Bunny could only ignore the sound for so long. She whirled an irritated look on Pablo. "Okay, seriously you need to sto—" she paused when she caught something in the edge of her vision.

She turned, and instantly gaped at the sight. Pablo, who'd been looking right at her, stopped drumming and followed her gaze, as did the rest of the room.

Now, they all gaped as one unit.

Bear sauntered up to the front of the garage, expecting and purposely ignoring their slacked expressions.

"Hey." he greeted casually. His eyes roamed over all of them, stopping at Bunny. He slided his guitar over to his front, mildly noting their collective inhale once they saw the instrument.

"Is—is that an Ibanez Genesis?" Mitch found himself whispering.

"RG five-fifty collection." Harry textured Mitch's discernment, subconsciously keeping his voice low as well.

Bear still looked directly at a shell-shocked Bunny. "I'm here to audition." He said, cradling his guitar at the ready.

Bunny blinked. A flustered silence ensued, Bunny tried desperately to say something, _anything_. But her larynx seemed to suddenly lack all its basic functions. Now she _knew_ the universe was being a bitch to her.

Pablo clenched his teeth anxiously, his eyes flicking from Bear to Bunny. They landed on Kim, who thankfully met his gaze. He marginally widened his eyes at her in askance.

Kim's face briefly twisted in confusion, but she got the message an instant later.

She cleared her throat, drawing attention to her, including that of the superpowered beings. She stood and walked up to Bear, cocking her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at him. He met her gaze levelly.

Bunny was surprised, but was otherwise grateful for Kim's physical interjection.

"What's your favorite band?" Kim asked.

"Toss up between Nirvana and AC/DC." Bear replied smoothly.

"Favorite instrument?"

"Piano."

Kim arched a brow. "What about the one in your hand?"

"Comes close, in second in-fact. But, the euphonious acoustic of the piano is unmatched in my opinion. Cristofori's a genius."

"Favorite singer?"

"Bjork. Massively underappreciated."

"Favorite guitarist?" Kim asked, suspecting he wouldn't be adept in this category if he didn't prioritize the instrument.

At the sight of his faint smirk though, she knew she was wrong. "Hendrix, easily."

Kim was relentless with these questions, but Bear wasn't fazed and fired back with ease, not missing a single beat. Bunny's expression was shifting from disconcerted to impressed.

"Best guitar solo?"

"Any answer other than Van Halen's 'Eruption' is wrong." Bear shrugged nonchalantly.

Kim seemed a little offended, the urge to defend Jimmy Page's impeccable 'Stairway to Heaven' itched her throat, but she shot it down.

"Well," Kim turned just enough to look at Bunny. "He knows his shit."

Bunny stared at her, then past her to the boy waiting to audition. Her friends all looked to her.

She nodded, looking right into his eyes. "Okay then, let's see how you play."

* * *

Bear strung out the last chords of his audition piece animatedly. He heaved a post-performance exhale and looked up to the band.

Bunny, along with the rest of the gang, were suddenly occupied with picking their jaws off the floor.

Bear fought back the smug smile that threatened to creep up into his face as he took in their reactions. He cocked his head nimbly, awaiting their verdict.

"Bruh..." Harry breathed.

Bunny looked from Bear to her band mates and Pablo, only to find them all staring at her expectantly. "So... what do we think?"

They all looked at her like she'd just asked the most stupid question _ever_. Which, if she was being honest, she probably had.

Bear slided his guitar over his back and pocketed his hands, watching as Bunny briskly consulted the others before turning to face him. She cleared her throat then gave him a professional smile.

"Well... um... welcome to the band." She officialized.

"That was fucking _sick_ dude!" Mitch touted with a grin.

Bear allowed himself a smirk now. "Thanks man."

"Where the hell did you learn to play like that?" Kim asked, her shock lying somewhere in the midst of her absolute rhapsody.

"Around." He answered cockily, shrugging to boot.

Harry cackled enthusiastically. _"Battle_ of the bands? That shit 'finna be a one-sided _slaughter_!"

They all chortled at Harry's jaunty exclamation. However, Bear realized that something was missing, a piece of the dissonant laughter that would have blended it all together. He looked to Bunny who was forcing a chuckle, still trying to evade eye contact with him.

Any trace of a smile on his face disappeared.

 _Fuck it_.

"Are we launching straight into practice?"

Bunny looked up at him as her friends' laughter slowly faded. "Oh, um, I guess we should. We only have three days before—"

"Can we talk first?"

Bunny almost inhaled through the wrong pipe. She hacked out a brief, rather unceremonious cough as a result. He was still staring at her pointedly when she was done.

 _He's asking to talk._ He's _asking to talk_! She yelled to herself. But was she ready? Did it matter? He had asked right in-front of all her friends, who were looking between them with slightly muddled expressions.

Save for Pablo.

Her eyes flickered to him, his expression coherently reading _Go Bitch_!

"Um—" she paused. Bear waited. _Just stand up you fucking drama queen_! "Um, sure."

Bear let out a breath nobody could tell he was holding. "Cool." He shuffled backwards, giving room for her to walk out of the garage.

Bunny blinked at him, then stood up, facing the rest. "We won't be long guys just... go over the songs we're going to perform on Friday."

"Sure 'Bun" Kim said, giving her a worried look. Bunny smiled, assuring her.

She brought her hands together in-front of her, bashfully making her way over to an awaiting Bear.

Without a word, he fell into step beside her as they strode away from Harry's garage and onto the sidewalk.

"What's that about?" Harry asked.

"I get the feeling that it's none of our business." Kim answered, but not resentfully. There was something in her voice that made it sound like she understood. Mitch simply raised a confused brow at the retreating pair.

Pablo grinned all the while.

* * *

Butch zipped through the empty school hallway, halting at the gymnasium. He'd just returned from his _special_ escapade and had a light spring in his step. He smirked as he pushed the doors open, adjusting his bag that contained the purchased goods.

He came face to face with a group of girls he didn't recognize, a thought he rebutted when he realized Bubbles was one of them, and he remembered the mixed chick she was talking to from yesterday.

Unlike him, they were exiting the gym. The dark haired girl that headed them near-imperceptibly bit her lip, in an effort to curtail the smirk that adorned her lips when she laid eyes on Butch.

He caught it, and of-course he encouraged her. "Hello ladies." He greeted them with an affable smirk, keeping his eyes trained on the girl. Noting the slight reddening of her cheeks with conceited delight. A feeling that only swelled upon realization that she was not the only one he'd inspired that reaction from.

The only two exceptions came from the girls he'd identified earlier. With the curly brown haired one giving him a look in the realm of curiosity. Bubbles, on the other hand, twisted her face in aversion. Butch was slightly taken aback by the unwarranted disfavor, although, he had probably done something to justify her reaction. He tended to be the one at fault, a fact he was often very aware of.

He smirked their way regardless, amused when Bubbles' scowl deepened as they walked past him.

The team was already working on their drills, the girls' team were doing the same in the other half of the court. Coach Andrews caught sight of Butch, who broke into a jog at his hard gaze.

"You better have a good excuse prepped Venus," Coach Andrews groused, folding his arms as Butch reached him.

"Sorry coach, had to run an errand for my mom." Butch fabricated reflexively.

The coach peered at him dubiously, then waved him off. "Don't be late again," he said in a tone that carried finality with a hint of warning behind it. Butch thanked him and made his way to the locker rooms. His eyes passed over the court, his confrontation with Coach Andrews had caught Buttercup's attention, and now she was scowling at him.

"Watch out" Butch warned, projecting, and Buttercup caught a pass without taking her eyes off him.

"Buttercup! Keep your eyes on the ball!" Coach Andrews instructed. She flickered her eyes to him and huffed out an apology, her eyes shifting back to Butch who cackled as he walked into the girls' locker room.

Buttercup's eyes widened. "Hey!" She growled. Butch stepped outside an instant later, feigning embarrassment. "Oops. My bad."

Buttercup bristled as he smirked at her, moving over to the appropriate door by the left and pushing it open.

* * *

Bunny had been kicking a particular pebble the instant they stepped on the sidewalk, she occupied herself with that, never striking it too far that she would lose its position or misdirect it so she'd have to realign her walking step. She subconsciously hoped Bear would take that as a prerogative to open conversation, but all he did was steal occasional glances at her, she could tell her through the side of her eyes.

 _This was a bad idea_. She told herself, wincing at the uncomfortable silence. But what could she have done? Declining his offer back at Harry's garage would have just been needlessly rude. Not to mention they would've still needed to practice afterwards. How awkward would _that_ have been? Even so, why wasn't he _saying anything_? He seemed keen on finally talking to her so why was he—

She paused as she made to launch the pebble further down the sidewalk again, it was still perfectly in her line of vision, but now it was... floating. She gave the piece of gravel a confused stare, then swiveled to look at Bear.

He was looking at the pebble, he flicked his eyes upwards and it mimicked that vertical movement.

Bunny felt something inexplicable tug at the pit of her stomach. Could he...?

"Are you doing that with your mind?" She surprised herself when the question escaped her mouth.

"Yeah." he answered instantly, facing her while the pebble fell back to the ground. Bunny walked past it.

"That's... really cool." Bunny said, genuinely.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Does it... does it ever mess with you? Like, is it ever hard to control?" She asked, intertwining her hands behind her back now, her gaze on him growing more intent.

Bear hunched his shoulders up. "Sometimes, mostly when I was younger. Whenever I got angry, or... overwhelmed, it would spiral out of control. I had to start macro-managing my emotions from really early on" he answered. There was the briefest flash of relation across her features, something that said You Too?

"You get that?"

Bunny hadn't expected the question, as was evident in the marginal widening of her eyes, but she didn't back away. In-fact, all of a sudden, her nerves were withering, giving place to comfort. "Yeah, yeah I do."

"What's your special power?" Bear asked as they turned into another street.

"I used to think I could just read minds, but turns out it's... the whole package," Bunny replied. There was something about the way she spoke, something that indicated there was much more she wasn't saying.

"Does it mess with you?" He ricocheted her question on her.

She turned away from him, slowly, twiddling her thumb against her knuckles. "Yeah." she breathed out.

Bear stared at her, he wanted to ask "Well, how badly?". "Has it been like that since you were younger?". "Is it tethered to your emotions?", all of that. But the way she was looking, the way her voice had gotten so low...

"That must have come in handy a few times huh?" He said instead, the corner of his mouth curling up in a dinky smile.

"I never use it for conspicuous purposes" Bunny defended, feeling a faint smile creep up to her own face.

Bear scoffed. "Bullshit."

"I'm serious!" Bunny laughed, catching herself before she could shove him.

Bear arched a suspicious brow, his smile morphing into a teasing smirk. " _Never_?"

Bunny opened her mouth to retort, Bear's second brow rose. "Okay but, just like, a couple of times," she conceded. "Under _very_ specific circumstances!" she added when Bear opened his mouth to gloat, he was going to, she could sense it.

"Right. Never used it to know a Christmas present before you were allowed to open it?" he said. Bunny's expression fell. "Too easy." Bear laughed.

"Oh, fuck off." Bunny shot back with a laugh herself, opting to shove him this time.

He chuckled, side-stepping to allow someone walking a dog move past him. The woman waved to Bunny who waved back amicably.

"Does that ever get weird?" Bear asked, looking back at the lady.

Bunny followed his gaze and shook her head. "Not in Townsville, everyone here's used to seeing us around."

"How often do you guys have to save people outside of Townsville?"

"Not often, Monster Island is literally a few thousand miles away so they mostly attack the city exclusively anyway."

Bear hummed and cracked his neck. "Aren't there other Monster Islands around the world though?"

"They're not so much Monster Islands as their islands that may occupy monsters" Bunny corrected. "Plus, zoologists and scientists alike still speculate that there're monster species in the sea."

"The lot of them must be incompetent then." Bear muttered, Bunny whirled a weird look on him. "Why do you say so?" she inquired.

He waved dismissively. "Thinking out loud" he said cryptically. Bunny stared at him a second longer, but didn't press any further. Bear reached up to scratch his neck listlessly and Bunny inadvertently followed his hand. She saw it clearly from here, she wondered how she had just noticed it since they were up close. It was just sizeable enough to be perfectly discernible, and she examined as Bear's fingers scratched just under it.

A bear paw print tattoo.

Bunny snorted, albeit, there was nothing indicating amusement in the sound. "How ingenious of you." She jived.

Bear's eyes flicked to her. "Oh—" he said upon tracing her gaze. He smiled lazily, "I was feeling kind of poetic, ended up looking severely pretentious instead. Serves me right for getting a tat at fifteen."

"Your mom let you get this when you were _fifteen_?" Bunny said, incredulous.

Bear snorted. "She's the one who tatted me."

This boy talkin' about what now?!

Bunny made a conscious effort not to gape. "You're messing with me."

Bear nodded a thanks at a guy who complimented "Nice guitar" as he strode past them.

"Naw—" he shook his own head for a contrasting reason. "—she used to tattoo people in college and I guess she got pretty good at it. I told her I wanted one and she just whipped out the gun, a little too quickly, actually" Bear said, recalling how his mom had been so giddy at Bear's request that she immediately dragged him to the lab while lunch was on the fire. Brick had assumed cooking duty, while Boomer and Butch had jetted down to witness their brother get his tattoo. Naturally, Butch was on the chair to get his own ink the very next day.

Bunny was gobsmacked, and doing a poor job of hiding it. It wasn't as though there was much of a structured image of Ms. Venus—she subconsciously noted how she addressed her as 'Ms'—in her head, but here Bear was, absolutely shattering the already incoherent perception she held of her.

 _This is a chance to give it some definition._ She abruptly thought to herself. Then, as she did so often, shot it down with much resoluteness. Her brain was infamous for loosing all its thinking ability when she got the least beast uneasy. This was literally the first conversation she was ever having with Bear, a conversation she was admittedly enjoying, she wasn't going to risk ruining it by hassling him for info on his life.

"That's... insane." Bunny breathed out.

"Yeah, she's kind of the best mom in the world." Bear smiled. She wondered if she would be seeing this regularly, him smiling.

"You should smile more." She said before giving it a thought.

Bear blinked, definitely not expecting the comment. He wasn't certain how he was supposed to reply to that, thankfully she bailed him out.

"Just..." she looked away from him, shrugging. "You should smile more."

They were both slowing their pace, unsure of the reason for doing so. Well, they'd finally gotten it out of the way, they were talking, and it felt natural. There was more Bear wanted to talk to her about, nothing in particular, talking to her just felt... no, it _was_ natural. But he imagined that he had enough time to do that, more than enough.

He halted, catching Bunny off-guard. She came to a stop, taking a couple steps backwards to stand in-front of him.

"We should head back and get some practice in." Bear said, jerking his head ambiguously in the direction they'd come from.

"Oh. Yeah, yeah we should." Bunny assented, feeling a slight, inexplicable pang of disappointment.

Suddenly, Bear's hand was risen up in-front of her. She looked from him to his ringed fingers and back. He had on a soft, collegial smile, looking starkly different from the stoic, enigmatic boy she saw yesterday.

"Nice to finally meet you, Bunny Utonium." he said.

Bunny blinked, chuckling at his self-imposed irony. She rose her equally bejeweled hand and clasped his, grinning up at him.

"Likewise, Bear Venus."

* * *

"Madam."

Sara Bellum looked up, laying down the sheaf of paperwork she held in her hands on her polished mahogany desk. "Yes Patrick?" She obliged her assistant as he stepped just in-front of the door, maintaining a hand on the knob.

"I've just been communicated Mr Morbucks' arrival." He said. The Mayor hummed and nodded at him, he exited her office.

She hadn't expected Townsville's infamous multi-millionaire to return for another few days, no matter, she could appeal her proposal to him now. She picked up her phone and tapped his number in. He picked after three rings.

"Sara" his gruff voice greeted cordially.

"Jean" she replied impassively. "I trust you had a good flight."

"Naturally. So, to what do I owe this pleasure? You rarely contact me for casual purposes." Jean said bluntly.

"I have a business proposition for you." Sara informed, and she could practically hear him smirk.

* * *

"You gotta be shittin' me." Buttercup said.

Bunny, Harry and Mitch were seated around her—Pablo and Kim had the early lunch on Wednesdays—with Harry, true to nature, relaying the profundity of Bear's adroitness in playing the guitar with rapping enthusiasm.

"He's fucking _lit_ BC, I ain't playin'. We were done with three songs in two hours, he barely made any mistakes after reading the music _once_!"

"He's really good," Bunny confirmed wit a distracted nod, thinking back to how Bear was near-faultless in rehearsal yesterday.

"Dude's like Curbain and Hendrix's love child or something." Mitch voiced his assent, eyes far away in reminiscence as well.

"You guys sure are gassing him up," Buttercup said, indifferent to this news.

"No, really. He's _insanely_ good, even by superhuman standards." Bunny insisted, as she came back to Earth and looked at her dark-haired sister.

"You're coming to Harry's after school right? You'll see for yourself." Mitch assured. Buttercup gave a doubting grunt in reply.

"Yo, Bear!"

Bunny, Buttercup and Mitch all snapped to. Harry was waving behind them, beckoning Bear over. "Y'all come sit with us!"

The rest of the table swiveled their heads in unison again to find Bear a few feet from them, being tailed by a chip-bearing Butch. Their body language suggested that they'd probably planned to sit elsewhere, but had halted at Harry's call.

The Ruffs exchanged a glance, then Butch smirked and stalked over. Bear followed.

Buttercup whirled on Harry. "What the fuck are you doing?" she hissed viciously. The boy in question gave her a confused look.

"C'mon Buttercup, maybe you should give him a chance." Bunny murmured as the boys neared, Buttercup redirected her glare to her. "Just a friendly suggestion." Bunny retracted.

"Make some room man," Butch requested, gesturing to the vacant but inadequate space beside Mitch. Mitch blinked up at him, stunned. He darted a quick glance at Buttercup who was looking from him to Butch with knitted brows. He looked away from her and shifted, Butch logged down next to him.

"Lookin' hot sweetie." Butch leaned forward and grinned bawdily at Bunny.

"Come any closer and I'll rip your fucking tongue out." Bunny threatened brusquely.

"Damn, didn't know you were a kinky one." Butch cackled as he threw a hand full of chips into his mouth.

"What up, you sick son of a bitch," Harry beamed, Bear chuckled as he slotted in between him and Bunny. "I'm a'ight. I'm definitely taking this shirt man," Bear said, motioning at Harry's top half.

"Not before I rock this denim my guy." Harry replied, grabbing at the arm of Bear's dim grey, one-size-too-big jacket.

"Do you wear anything that isn't ripped?" Bunny teased.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Bear retorted with a minuscule smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself," Bunny said, rolling her eyes coltishly.

"Dude, where does Rex get his shit? I was in the fucking clouds last night." Butch said to Mitch conversationally. Buttercup—who up until that point had been trying to scar Butch's face with the third degree—assumed a look of shock.

Mitch didn't see it, he made sure not to look at her to find out either. "I wouldn't know man, pretty sure he's really tight-lipped about that shit."

"Guess when I get desperate I gotta just be a little... persuasive then." Butch sniggered.

Buttercup blinked. Looking frantically between Mitch and Butch, the former hesitant to meet her eyes. When had he... when had _they_ started talking? What the fuck was her best friend doing talking to that... that inflaming _bastard_.

Bunny offered Bear her soda, he accepted. His eyes flickered downwards to her wrist as he took the cup from her. A small silver bracelet adorned it, nothing intricate, it was completely plain in-fact. He had a swift look at Buttercup's wrist to find an exact match around it.

"What's that?" he asked, taking a slurp.

Bunny followed his gaze. "Oh, these are our suits. Well, in their deactivated state, but yeah."

Butch choked out a laugh. "Fuck me, you guys actually have _supersuits_?"

"You think I'd risk ruining this Chiffon?" Bunny said, gesturing at her top.

"If you guys wear capes I'm leaving the band." Bear said flatly, and Bunny obliged him with a chuckle.

"You guys heard about the guy who can lift, like, a hundred and forty pounds with his beard?" Harry inquired enthusiastically.

Bear whirred a perturbed look on him. "What?"

"Here we go," Bunny sighed, reclaiming her soda cup from Bear.

"No cap! It's some old Turkish dude. His name kinda sounds like his parents lost a bet... but it's real I swear!"

"You're not fucking serious are you?" Butch said, his voice muffled from the second wad of chips he'd devoured.

"Why am I the only one who ever sees this stuff? Don't you guys watch freaky shit online?" Harry clamored.

"Oh, I _definitely_ watch some freaky shit online," Butch laughed, throwing Bunny another suggestive sneer. "My favorite category's ebon—"

He suddenly felt a force swing his head down, thumping it hard against the table face first.

"Shut up, man." Bear said, identifying himself as the perpetrator. Harry cackled, Bunny—who'd been poised to biff Butch in the nose—issued Butch's groaning form a repulsive scowl.

"I take it back, he deserves no chances." She said to Buttercup, who unbeknownst to her, had been staring at Mitch in disbelief.

The boy continued to scrutinize his lunch.

* * *

The highly awaited last bell of a day rung and within seconds the empty hallway was teeming with students, scampering towards the exits.

Buttercup muscled her way through the crowds, striding towards the main entrance. Scowling in her wake, even though it tended to be her default expression, most people tended to... sense when Buttercup once in a bad mood. It was a survival skill, really. One that was essential in self-preservation while on school grounds.

She didn't even notice people throwing her wary looks or giving her room to walk unhindered. Someone was shuffling behind her, and after a while it seemed they built up the confidence to speed up and match her pace. She looked up, her scowl deepened, and she returned her gaze to the floor.

Mitch's shoulders slumped, almost like he frowned with his entire body.

"What." Buttercup said, she tried to keep the ice out of her voice, but if Mitch's tiny shudder was any indicator, she failed.

"Buttercup..." he trailed off as he took in her detached face. She didn't speed up, or tell him to Fuck Off, he took those as good signs. Though, it didn't make it any easier to talk to her, but after they'd walked in silence till they pushed through the school's main entrance he'd had enough.

"Buttercup, listen I... I didn't know that you, you know, weren't cool with him. When I went to the bleachers on Monday he just showed up, and he seemed tight so we—"

"So you lied."

Mitch blinked, "What?"

"You lied when you said you were with Rodney." She clarified, still not looking at him.

"Oh," he winced guiltily. "Yeah... I guess I did." More silence, they were navigating the school lot through sheer muscle memory now as they pivoted and approached Pablo's car.

Mitch groaned, "Buttercup, I'm sorry I—"

"Don't worry about it" Buttercup interjected abruptly. "You should be sorry, but I'm not your mom, I can't tell who you can and can't hang out with."

Mitch stared at her. "You sure?"

"I'm sure, alright?" She said, meaning it.

She'd been thinking about it since lunch, and while she'd initially been pissed that Mitch had apparently befriended Butch, she didn't want something as trivial as that to cause friction between them, it would be stupid.

Besides, she actually hadn't told Mitch—or anyone for that matter—why she couldn't be anywhere in Butch's vicinity without being overcome with the staggering urge to strangle him. And she intended to keep it that way, it wasn't a memory she liked to revisit.

Unfortunately for her though, her brain had already latched onto that train of thought and now flashes of that atrocious day blinked in her head. She clenched her jaw, unable to suppress the faint snarl that exited her mouth. She'd caged the memory in the deepest, darkest crevice of her mind and locked it up. But the moment she'd seen the Boys emerge from those cars, the bars weakened, and it broke out and permeated her head.

Filling it with thoughts of _him_ , that _bastard_. That crude, rakish, hair-brained bastard. Just thinking about Butch's inveterate smirk made her blood boil. He hadn't even acknowledged it, he acted as though that day never happened and still had the fucking gull to jeer at her. Even after what he did, after _humiliating_ her. That motherfucking—

"Hey," Mitch said, snapping her out of her thoughts as she snapped to. "Look, if you're still pissed with me that's fine—"

"I'm _not_ " Buttercup averred, then calmed at the sight of Mitch's soft expression. "I'm not, for real."

Mitch's nod was slow, "Okay."

Buttercup heaved a weighted sigh and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Tell me you've got some fucking pot on you?"

The somber look on Mitch's face ignited into a giddy smile.

Buttercup snorted. "I'll take that as a yes."

They could see the gang gathered around Pablo's Subaru Forester. Bunny was seated on the boot, flanked by Harry and Pablo on the ground.

"What up losers." Buttercup greeted when she and Mitch reached them.

"Ah, Buttercup. Such a ball of sunshine," Pablo said with faux-cordiality.

"She makes me so warm inside," Harry added sardonically, lifting his clasped hands to his face for emphasis.

"It's what I do." Buttercup accepted their felicitates with a shrug, before hopping up and taking a place beside Bunny.

"Isn't she just the best?" Mitch joined in the fun as his eyes glimmered in adoration. "She sure is!" Harry and Pablo echoed.

"Do you three have _any_ intention to live past High School?" Buttercup said, her voice threatening.

The three boys sighed in adulation. Bunny laughed.

"Where the hell is Kim?" Buttercup said, shaking her head at the guys, but she was smiling.

"Kim is over here!"

They all snapped to, and saw Kim hastily approaching them as she weaved through parked cars.

Bunny looked above her, eyes landing on the car she seemed to have just left. She saw Billy—holding what was probably Kim's gym bag—standing with Boomer and Bubbles, though it seemed like Billy was about to take his leave.

"I don't know if this will ever get normal." Buttercup said, and Bunny turned to see her gaze directed at their sister as well.

"C'mon people, let's move." Kim said, the franticness in her voice not going unnoticed by Bunny. She stared at Kim who was throwing furtive glances over her shoulder at the two chattering, blonde superhumans.

Bunny winced. Of-course.

"We still have to wait for Bear," she said as Kim looked back to her friends.

"There's something pacifying about that name."

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't jump his bones at practice yesterday" Mitch said, deadpanning at Pablo whose eyes looked as though they'd legitimately morphed into hearts.

"God! Those were the hardest two hours of my entire _life._ " Pablo cried, and they all chortled.

"I'm not gonna forgive you guys if this guy plays like a basement kid who picked up guitar from YouTube tutorials," Buttercup said.

"Hey, YouTube gave _me_ a few pointers on piano," Harry defended.

"Maybe she's trying to tell you something." Bunny sniggered.

"Here he comes," Kim announced, drawing all attention to her, then to the direction she was looking in.

Bear exited the school entrance, lazily floating down the steps before planting himself on the pavement. Bunny and Harry began to wave him over just as he coincidentally looked up in their direction. He took to the air again, drifting over the sheet of cars and landing among them.

He plucked his Earphones off and gave them a pint-sized but friendly smile.

"BC thinks you're shit at guitar" Harry reported, pointing at said girl.

Bear hummed. "Is that so?" he arched a brow at his apparent detractor.

Buttercup met his gaze head on and shrugged, unapologetic.

"An uninformed opinion of-course," Pablo beamed at him.

"You're not gonna take that are you?" Bunny said in a mock instigative tone.

Bear shrugged. "We'll see what you say in thirty minutes" he replied, looking at Buttercup.

"Okay, I'm with Kim now, let's fucking jet!" Mitch cackled, slapping the boot exuberantly.

They all howled save for Kim, Bear and Buttercup. The latter two who were engaged in a seemingly harmless stare-off, though their grave expressions suggested otherwise.

An abrupt beeping suddenly cut into their laughter. Bunny got to her phone before Buttercup.

"Ms Bellum? What's going on?"

* * *

Bubbles waved bye to Mike and Robin, as well as a couple of other guys from the football team as they separated in different directions of the lot. Mike was in a hurry, he wanted to go visit his grandma at the hospital, Robin was going with him.

Bubbles, on the other hand, went in search of Boomer. They'd had English together today, and he was just as forward as he'd been since the first day. He'd paid her next to no mind for the duration of the class, only to stop her in the hall once the bell went to ask her if she could still make it to his place today, she'd affirmed that she could.

 _He's so weird_. Bubbles thought to herself as she whipped out her phone and dialed his number. She hadn't anything against him, but she was beginning to wonder why he was so keen on them hanging out. Maybe she was just in her head, they _did_ have an assignment to do after all. Even though he was the one who'd really-but-not-really demanded for her to be his partner.

He picked up the call. "Hey you!" he greeted jauntily.

Bubbles didn't know whether to be amused or disquieted by his energy. "Hey, where are you?"

"I'm by Billy's car, we're down east, near the road" he informed.

"'Kay, I'm headed there." She ended the call and opted to fly over to him. She soared over Bunny, who was obliviously talking with Harry and Pablo. Boomer was already looking up at her and throwing his signature hand sign by the time she zeroed in on him and Billy.

"Hey Bubbles." Billy greeted as she landed.

"Hey Billy," she smiled back at him. "Where's Susie?"

"She left with her sister, family stuff apparently."

"Oh, is she okay?" Bubbles asked, the slightest modicum of worry washing over her features.

"Yeah, she's fine. I think they're just moving downtown or something." Billy answered.

"You pick a song yet?" Boomer cut in, facing Bubbles.

"Not yet, I was thinking we could settle on one together?" she ventured.

"Sounds like a plan." Boomer assented, snapping his fingers and pointing at her. Bubbles chuckled despite herself, he was so, incredibly ridiculous.

"Um..." A voice whispered from behind her. She impalpably stiffened.

"Hey Kim!" Boomer beamed, ignorant to the discomforting looks that Billy and Bubbles had assumed.

Kim cleared her throat. "Hey... Boomer"—Billy had introduced them to one another yesterday. Bubbles' eyes were glued to the floor, in the edge of her vision, she could just make out Kim stepping towards Billy and handing him her gym bag, requesting he helped her drop it at home.

"No problem" Billy said, taking the bag from her.

Boomer's grin dissolved as he became conscious of the thick atmosphere. He swept a look at all three of them, muddled.

He made to say something, but only got about two syllables out before Kim said, "Hey Bubbles."

Bubbles flicked her eyes up, catching Kim's own chocolate brown orbs. She didn't so much smile as she pursed her lips with an awkward curve. "Hey."

"Um... how've you been?"

"Fine." Bubbles answered shortly.

"That's cool."

"Hm."

Boomer almost recoiled from second hand, awkward tension. What the fuck was going on here?

"Well... I—I guess I'll see you around?" Kim said, and she sounded strange. Her words sounded desperate and laced with melancholy.

"Yeah" Bubbles replied, notably forcing a laugh.

Kim folded her arms around herself, clearing her throat once more and bidding a distracted goodbye to Boomer and Billy before walking away.

Bubbles' gaze furtively followed her, watching as she made her way over to her friends at Pablo's car, Buttercup and Mitch had joined them now.

Boomer scrunched his face in perturbation. "What the hell was that about?"

Billy looked between him and Bubbles, momentarily considering clearing it up, but at the sight of Bubbles' now dejected face, he decided against it. She'd be better off telling Boomer herself.

"I gotta go help my dad with dinner, so... I'll see you around man" he patted Boomer on the shoulder and managed a dinky smile at Bubbles. Boomer and Bubbles shuffled away from Billy's car as it roared to life, before twisting and riding into the road.

"We're flying to your place right?" Bubbles swiftly said, already beginning to float.

"Hey, what just happened? Why were you and Kim so weird?" Boomer asked innocently.

Now that she was looking at him, he could clearly see the despondency in her expression. He apologetically retracted.

"It's cool if you don't wanna talk about it—" Boomer assured, raising his hands. "I don't mean to pry, I just—"

He stopped rambling at Bubbles' dismissive wave. "You didn't do anything. It's fine, really."

She dropped the waving hand on her arm, rubbing at it. A car honk sounded and they both jerked to. They shuffled back into the now empty car space where Billy's car had been as another drove past them.

Bubbles remained silent even as she descended to the ground.

"You don't have to tell me anything Bubbles. Let's just head—" Boomer began to say but she softly cut him off saying—

"Kim and I used to date" Bubbles blurted in a whisper. Boomer stiffened, he'd heard just fine. "You would've found out eventually anyway."

His eyes swoll into dinner plates. They darted from Bubbles to Kim—a few car rows over with her friends, Bear was just landing among them—and back to Bubbles who had now mustered up the ease to look up at him.

 _HOLD UP_! Boomer exclaimed in his head. Didn't this mean that...

"Oh... so... she's your..."

"Ex. Yeah" Bubbles folded her lips in and nodded awkwardly. So many questions were suddenly thrashing around in Boomer's head. _So many_.

 _I can't ask that though, can_ _I_? He said to himself. At this point he was probably openly gawking at her, she stared back, her expression expectant. _Is she waiting for me to ask? No that's not it, it couldn't be... could it_? _It's none of my business_! This inner struggle continued to persist as he was nothing short of flabbergasted, because... well he certainly wouldn't have imagined that someone like Bubbles would be—

The chiming of her phone came to Boomer's rescue. She whipped it out just in time to see the familiar 'X' symbol flashing on the screen. The chiming ceased and she looked over to her sisters, they both took to the air.

Bubbles switched modes and immediately slipped out of her small bag, she held it out to Boomer. "Hold this for me?"

"Sure." And once he took it from her she zipped into the air after her sisters. It was now that a faint roar echoed in the distance, deep into the city.

* * *

Brick shoved his books into his locker, shooting them a distasteful look before slamming it.

He was beginning to seriously consider revisiting the topic of dropping out with his mom, but he imagined that she would still be resolute in her decision that him and his brothers finish High School before having that prerogative. He hadn't any recent memory on when school had actually posed any sort of challenge to him, it felt beneath him to share a classroom with duds who didn't know the fucking difference between Sine and Cosine.

He sauntered among the students who had made a habit of avoiding him in the halls. He relished the way they sped up when he neared them, shifting towards the lockers like the insects they were. If they maintained the sense to not bother him—he would make sure of it in any case—then perhaps he could actually survive the inevitably torturous years to come.

"You're like the ultimate Scrooge. A symbol for all modern day brooders. Ever consider changing your name to Bruce?"

Brick heaved a heavy, irritated sigh. "Fuck off, Butch."

Butch fell into step beside Brick with a snigger. "What's got your panties in a twist now" he said, dodging an attempted jab to his face.

"This is my happy face" Brick replied in a bored tone.

"You 'ought to loosen up bro. Shit hasn't been _that_ bad since we got here."

"Speak for yourself. Only reason I haven't blown this place apart is because I've been strategically avoiding the Pink One." Brick said, his face twisting in disgust at the last words.

"Saw her on my way to lunch today, she's definitely 'Friday Night' worthy," Butch smirked.

"You have no fucking taste."

"Says the guy who's been single his whole life."

"Your ex back at home, what was her name again?"

Butch paused, raking his brain. "... shit... was it Jennifer?"

Brick rolled his eyes as they veered. "I stand corrected."

"Whatever. She was smoking hot, that's the point."

"You and I clearly hold contrasting definitions of the word _hot_ brother."

"Look over there," Butch placed a hand on Brick's shoulder and jerked his head. Brick followed his direction, laying eyes upon a group of girls chattering by their lockers. "That blonde one. Look at those lips, that friggin' waist, those legs for daaaays," he said, motioning openly. "You're telling me that's not hot?"

Brick was not impressed. "She looks like she reads teen melodrama and worships Taylor Swift."

"Why the hell would you care what kind of _books_ she reads?" Butch inquired, brows furrowing in confusion.

"I need to ask a girl about her opinions on Napoleon's motives behind the French Revolution and have her not look at me like a Blubber fish," Brick said bluntly.

Butch gave him a dry look, dropping his hand. "That brother, is why you're the boring one."

"If only you understood how much of a compliment that is coming out of _your_ mouth."

They were welcomed by the afternoon sun as they burst through the doors, they both chose to float down the stairs when a blur of pink _whooshed_ past them.

Unlike the people surrounding them, they didn't budge as the generated wind whipped harshly. Brick simply held his cap in place.

Both brothers followed the blur as it zoomed to join the now fading wisps of purple, green and blue, their eyes widening when they heard the unmistakable monster roar.

* * *

People were sprinting to their cars now in a frantic attempt to get to their homes. Even Pablo and the gang had left as soon as Bunny and Buttercup jetted off.

Bear hovered over the commotion, watching idly as car after car sped into the road. Something in his peripheral vision moved and he turned to see Boomer floating towards him.

"Yo!"

He swiveled to the voice and saw Butch approaching them as well, Brick lazily trailing him.

By the time the four of them came together Butch had assumed a troubling, maniacal grin.

"Let's go have some fucking fun!"

Boomer pouted, looking in the direction the girls had flown off in. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"C'mon! I'm bored 'outta my skull, when was the last time we had a good fucking fight?" Butch appealed, his grin momentarily faltering when he met Bear's cold gaze. "Oh... yeah. Sorry. But this obviously ain't gonna be like last time."

"I'd much rather not spend my afternoon engaging in pretentious heroism" Brick said, following Boomer's gaze and scowling.

"They're gonna be the ones in the papers and shit" Butch said, waving his arm in the general direction the roar erupted from. "We can just help them fuck it up" he said in reference to the monster.

"I don't know dude" Boomer shook his head, reluctant. Butch faced him and wrinkled his face upon viewing the object that hung from his back.

"Why the _fuck_ are you carrying something that looks like a fucking unicorn barfed it up?"

"It's Bubbles'" Boomer answered, sounding more defensive about her than himself.

"We don't have to fight along" Bear finally said, eyes darting to city. "We can just watch."

Butch groaned about the exact same second Brick scoffed.

"Worse than playing hero to this pathetic city? Spectating the ones who _actually_ play hero to it." He started to float past them, towards where he and Bear's cars were parked. "You guys can go fuck around, I'm going home."

"Aren't you curious to see how they fight?"

Brick paused, turning just enough to see Bear staring at him. His purple-eyed brother then redirected his gaze back to the city. Brick did the same.

All four them hovered in silence as another monstrous screech sounded.

* * *

Blossom burst through the school doors, rapidly angling upwards and shooting forward. She reached her sisters just before they cleared the suburbs and entered the city area.

Bunny, Bubbles and Buttercup instinctively pulled up beside her, assuming their positions to her right, left and below her respectively.

Their bracelets glowed their distinct colors and transmuted, spreading from their wrists and enveloping the entirety of their bodies from their neck downwards.

They zeroed in on the monster now, it was a humanoid, with bulky, overly long arms and visibly smooth silver skin, along with three eye-less heads sitting on its shoulders. Its thirty-foot form stomped down the street, leaving car-sized craters in the asphalt with every step.

Luckily, the citizens in this area had mostly been evacuated. Only a few could be seen sprinting down the streets, a couple cars were racing away as fast as the acceleration could take them, but the creature closed in on them with every step.

"Bubbles! Bunny! Get those citizens out of here!" Blossom ordered, her sisters adhered and dove down. Bubbles picked off the civilians one after the other until eight of them were entangled in her arms. Bunny swooped under a car and lifted it off just before the monster's foot slammed down in that very spot.

"Hold onto something!" Bunny yelled to the driver who obliged by gripping his steering wheel. She lobbed the car off into the air, faintly acknowledging the frightened scream from the man as she grabbed the second car, shifting it to balance on one hand as she hovered and raised her other hand, waiting. A second or two passed before the first car landed on it.

She zipped away from the area, tailing Bubbles to Eight street as their sisters took on the monster.

Buttercup circled around its swiping hand and kicked it the back of its head, it only stumbled before Blossom rammed a jab into one of its knees and it buckled to the ground on the other one. Buttercup took the opening and released an onslaught of energy beams everywhere from its multiple heads to its torso.

The creature shot its arm out suddenly, catching Buttercup off-guard in its fist before hurling her into the side of a building, shattering numerous windows on impact. Blossom shot up, dodging a barreling punch and uppercutting the middle head, there was a howl of aggravation before Blossom followed up with roundhouse kick on the head to her left. She eyebeamed it for good measure, searing into its skin. She then suddenly felt a bed-sized fist slam into her from behind and she ate the asphalt face first.

The creature roared and bounded after her, ready to bring its fists down just as a streak of bright blue flew against its chest. with its momentum reversed it lost balance and caromed into the side of a dilapidated building, sending heavy debris soaring across the streets. Bubbles landed where Blossom was standing, shaking dust off her hair.

"Blossom! Are you okay?"

The girl huffed. "I'm fine, did you clear out the area?"

Bubbles was in the middle of nodding as a purple streak tackled her and Blossom by their waists. A glaring, black laser razed the ground they stood on not three seconds ago.

Bunny disentangled herself from her sisters once they were at a safe height.

"Great, it possesses energy projection" Blossom grumbled, watching as the monster emerged from the derelict building.

"Where's Buttercup?" Bunny clamored, there was a loud bellow from below them and they all looked down to see Buttercup fly out from the building she was thrown in and charge towards the monster.

"Don't be reckless!" Blossom sped off, screaming after her. Bunny and Bubbles rushed after her as the four of them closed in on the roaring beast.

* * *

Brick had caved and decided to follow his brothers. Admittedly, his curiosity itched to see what these so called 'superheroes' could _really_ do.

It hadn't been difficult for the boys to find them, the sonorous hails of the battle were hard to miss. They ventured into the city on foot, ducking into a seemingly evacuated hotel as the girls rounded the street, engaged in scrimmage with the monster.

This was probably one of the fancier hotels in the city, it went up a walloping twenty-eight stories. They floated up to the eleventh one, after Butch had snatched a brochure from behind the Front Desk to help decide which room would offer the best viewing experience. They decided on a Master Suite on the west wing.

They met the door locked, Butch suggested they simply kick it down. Bear retrieved a pin from his pocket and picked the lock instead.

"Damn. This place is crazy!" Boomer touted as they filed in, he ducked into the living room area and carried one of the cushions.

He joined his brothers in the large bedroom area just as Bear willed the ceiling-high curtains to part, revealing the ceiling-high windows.

"A-One seats baby." Butch laughed, placing his face against the glass as a supersuit clad Bunny soared past them.

"You think we're good here?" Boomer inquired, plopping down on the cushion.

"These are reflective windows, they can't see us" Brick assured, then felt a bewildering sense of Déjà Vu. Like Butch, he'd opted to stand.

Bear was the only one who hovered, cross-legged. After a moment of consideration, he fetched a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He picked a stick from it, the pack remaining stagnant in the air even as he let it go and placed the stick between his lips, igniting a small purple flame on his thumb and lighting it.

"That thing's pretty fast," Boomer commented as the monster dodged a spear kick from Bubbles and smacked her into the ground.

"It's less about its speed and more about its awareness," Brick corrected, and true to fact, despite its apparent lack of sight-providing organs, the monsters' heads swiveled in alert as the girls attacked it.

"The blue one is defo getting knocked first." Butch said.

Bear shook his head. "Naw," he said, blowing out smoke and pointing, cig-in-hand. They watched as Buttercup flew forward, ignoring a command from Blossom as she weaved through the onslaught of lasers and barreled into the monster's chest, sending it skidding harshly, asphalt collecting at its heels. "Buttercup'll get knocked first. She's not taking any caution, and she keeps ignoring Blossom."

"My thoughts exactly," Brick assented. "There's no thought to her attacks, sooner or later she's gonna get—"

The monster then—unlike the eyebeams it'd been firing—literally roared out a Megabeam, nailing Buttercup head on. She soared backwards a few hundred feet—nothing but a trail of smoke—all the way to another edge of the city.

"Oof!" Boomer grimaced. "That had to sting."

"That fucker's full of surprises." Butch said, his eyes wide.

Blossom arced around the beast while its head was still reared up from its attack on Buttercup. She volleyed it upwards, Bunny took a cue from her and flew over it, drop kicking it back to her sister.

"What a woman" Butch cooed, his saliva beginning to drip on the glass.

"Blossom isn't letting that thing _breathe_ " Boomer leaned forward as Blossom released a fury of lasers on the monsters' heads specifically as it howled in pain.

"She _is_ making good use of its lapse in focus." Brick muttered begrudgingly.

The cigarette hung from Bear's lips as he watched Bunny ram into the monster's midsection. He took a drag and plucked it from his mouth, exhaling the nicotine as he continued to observe.

* * *

Blossom was beginning to get frustrated. This thing just kept getting back up, and worse yet, it seemed as though all the damage they were inflicting on it did nothing to hamper its mobility or stamina. Even the scars they'd seared across its body just disappeared after some time.

She watched as Bubbles slugged it and it hit the ground, hard, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Still, Blossom could make out its light twitching as it laid on the road, it would be up again.

They had to tear it apart.

"Girls!" she called and her sisters pulled up beside her. "We have to blow that thing to smithereens."

"How? Our blows aren't keeping it down." Bubbles pointed out.

"Not to mention when we laser it, it just returns the favor" Bunny groused, then peered. "Our attacks _are_ working though."

"They are," Blossom nodded. "I think it has it has a healing factor and rapidly recovers its stamina. We're hurting it, its just rehabbing too fast to sustain any lasting damage."

"My question stands. How do we take it down?" Bubbles said with a worried frown as the monster began to stir.

"I've got a plan" Blossom asserted, her sisters leaned in to listen.

With, sudden, shocking agility, the silver skinned monstrosity sprung to its feet and fired at the girls. They careened out of the way, in three different directions.

Bubbles and Bunny flew straight to the vacuous heads, zipping around to the ones at the side, noting the head in the middle was the only one capable of projecting energy. The beast swung its arms, trying to swat them away, and failed.

They managed to catch its riveted attention, doing nothing but zigzagging around the beams spawning from the monster's eyes, biffing it if said beams began to tear into the buildings around them.

Blossom stayed low to the ground, her belly mere inches from the asphalt as she zoomed in on the pair of large, toe-absent feet. She inhaled, faint blue wisps seeping out from the sides of her mouth. She shot up just as she expelled a shaft of ice from her lips.

The monster felt a strange sensation rapidly encasing its legs and looked down to see the perpetrator. Bunny immediately jabbed its jaw upwards.

Blossom was done with the legs and was now finishing work on the torso. Bubbles and Bunny continued to ceaselessly knock the heads, not allowing them a moment of rest. They backed off suddenly, and the beast made to charge another Megabeam in its mouth, but it was too late.

A coat of dense, bluish-white ice crystallized over that last head, freezing it in place. Blossom zipped away from it and turned to inspect her work, only the monster's figure was visible from its completely frozen, ill-composed form.

"Now!" Blossom behested and dove forward. Her sisters dove after her in the form of colored streaks and they simultaneously plowed into the beast's helpless form, shattering it into thousands of pieces.

They came together in the air, swiveling their heads as it rained frozen monster.

Bubbles _whooped_ , the beatific grin on her face a deep contrast to the anxious unease that bedecked it a few minutes ago.

"Good job Leader Girl" Bunny hailed, humoring Bubbles with a high-five.

Blossom grinned at the compliment, before reestablishing a mildly earnest expression as she looked into the distance and shook her head. "You guys go get Buttercup, I'll take care of the ice debr—"

She paused, her expression growing grave.

"What's wrong Blossom?" Bubbles asked at the abrupt cut-off, following Blossom's gaze. Bunny had already caught on.

"You're kidding me right," Bunny said in disbelief. The three of them watched as the bits of ice began to jerk violently, sliding across the ground, through the air, they converged at one point before coalescing into a figure they wouldn't have minded never seeing again for the rest of their days.

The ice exploded, sending shards flying in every direction. The girls shielded their faces as the picks jetted past them, slashing at their suits, although not causing any damage to them. They lowered their arms and looked in shocked horror as the monster—fully formed—leaped at them.

* * *

"Fucking hell!" Butch cackled. "This is _quality_ entertainment."

"Man, how many tricks does this fucker have up its sleeve?" Boomer had shifted his cushion closer to the window.

Brick only stared as the monster slugged Bunny into a building. Two streaks of blue and pink zipped around it, landing blow after blow. He turned to look at Bear.

"Did you see that?"

Bear boorishly flicked away a filter and picked a second stick from the floating pack. "The heads yeah?" he ventured, glancing back at Brick.

"Yeah." Brick nodded.

"What the shit are you guys talking about?" Butch peeled his face from the window and issued his brothers a confused look. Boomer looked between them in curiosity as well.

"You should have been paying attention to something other than how Bunny's ass looks in that suit," Brick said flatly, narrowing his eyes at Butch.

"Dude. How do you expect me to do that? Really, _ho_ _w_?!" Butch clamored, gesturing towards the window for emphasis.

Brick rolled his eyes at his brother's stupidity. Boomer was now peering intently at the creature as it eyebeamed Blossom and simultaneously slammed both Bubbles and Bunny into the pavement.

"These suits are incredibly stout" Brick muttered, observing how their full-body aegis hadn't been so much as blemished despite all the hits they were taking.

There was a glint in the corner of Bear's eyes. He flicked his eyes to see a growing dot rapidly approaching from the sky. "I was wondering when she would get up." he said, taking a drag.

They all watched as the dot slowly became more discernibly green, and it in a matter of seconds it thudded against the monster with a _Boom_. The shockwave from the impact shattering numerous windows and mildly indenting some buildings as the monster went flying across to the other end of the street, bashing into a forceful stop via a high-rise apartment building.

Buttercup now hovered where it had been standing, a coat of green pulsing around her entire body. The sheer gravity of her scowl almost tangible in the air.

"DAYUM BOI!" Butch and Boomer echoed.

"Well..." Brick said, at a loss for words, his eyes slightly wide.

Even Bear's mouth was marginally agape, the cig dangling from his lips.

"I'm just getting _FUCKING started!_ " her furious voice thundered, loud enough for the boys to hear. She made to zoom forward but halted and looked down, appearing very irritated that she was being kept from bringing down hell upon the writhing creature a ways from her.

"These suits are kinda flamin'" Butch said, admiring the girls' get-up. It was white from their necks down to their toes. Along the trims of the neck and spread across the whole suit were patterned lines—in their distinct colors—that piped to a median point 'X' symbol on their chests.

Her sisters appeared at her side and Blossom immediately began to berate her for her recklessness. Buttercup, despite the fury etched on her face, still managed an eye-roll. Bunny appeared to break it up just as Bubbles pointed as the monster which had started to groggily shuffle to its feet.

"This thing's stubborn as fuck. How the hell are they gonna beat it?" Boomer wondered.

"By being cognizant," Brick scoffed. "We only did this what? Four times? They've been at this their whole lives and still struggle with middling creatures like this."

"We got lucky last time. Lest you forget." Bear suddenly blurted, turning dull eyes on Brick. He stared back, meeting Bear's gaze levelly.

"You did what you had to do," he said, his tone grave. "I don't call that luck."

"What were you saying about its heads?" Butch interjected, facing Bear.

The boy's gaze lingered on Brick—who'd looked back to the battle below them—a second longer. He blew out smoke, eyes flicking to Butch. "Let's see if _they_ figure it out."

* * *

"Did you guys notice something when it rejoined itself?" Bunny said.

"Notice what?"

"Its heads," she answered Blossom.

"So we knock its heads off" Buttercup said, bumping her fists together.

"You missed the part where it can regenerate" Bubbles frowned at her erratic sister.

"I don't think it's that simple anyway" Bunny dismissed Buttercup's suggestion.

"What are you theorizing?" Blossom asked as the monster released a warning screech.

"I think the source of its regeneration is in its forehead... well, foreheads." Bunny ventured.

Blossom blinked at her, then thought back to when the pieces of ice began to converge. They _had_ first formed into three disfigured, sphere-like structures before the rest of the ice conjoined with them.

The monster had pulled itself into a hasty walk now. The girls all stared at it, their eyes dilating in unison.

"I see it! I see them!" Bubbles announced.

Her sisters could see it to, she was referring to the tiny, black spheres located in the middle of each forehead, overlayed with equally black, palpitating energy.

"We all do," Buttercup grumbled, clearly agitated. "Now, can we rip it to fucking shreds?"

"Watch your language" Blossom automatically reprimanded. She looked back to the beast that was starting to speed up. "Buttercup," the girl looked to Blossom. "Keep it steady, Make sure you've got a firm grip on it. Bubbles, Bunny and I will take care of the spheres."

"Can I rough it up a bit?" Buttercup asked, her expression strangely and genuinely solemn.

Blossom gave her a look, Buttercup only continued to pout. "You are so rambunctious."

"No idea what the hell that means, but I'll take it as a 'Yes'" Buttercup proclaimed, then zipped off. She ignored Blossom's reproachful cry behind her as she neared the beast, just as it broke out into a full-fledged run itself.

She tipped downwards abruptly, before canting up a suckerpunch into its jaw. With its momentum recoiled, it stumbled backwards, allowing Buttercup a few more well placed energy-coated hits.

The creature wobbled, recovering, and she made her move. The energy around her swelled, before shooting out in three directions.

* * *

"What the fucking fuck?" Butch articulated, his brows knotting in bemusement.

"Do you guys remember her being able to do that?" Boomer's face was equally one of the bamboozled variety.

Bear blinked.

Brick rose a dubious brow.

* * *

Buttercup hung in the air. Three other Buttercups hovered around her, impeccable, mirror-like, carbon copies.

The four of them zoomed forward, each grabbing hold of a monster limb with their arms. It began to thrash around violently, but the Buttercups held strong and kept it in the air.

Her sisters were right on the ball, already speeding towards the hulking beast the instance Buttercup had confined its movements.

Bubbles dove for the head to the left, Bunny took the one to the right, and Blossom darted straight down the middle. She briefly made out, particles of plasma gathering at the monsters' mouth, but again, it was too little, too late.

Coated in pink energy, she burst through its forehead, she faintly registered its shrill cry as she plowed through the dark, surprisingly squishy insides, perhaps not that surprising, considering she was going through what was probably its brain. She could already see the sphere, box-sized and connected to an artery-esque tube.

She tore it off.

She emerged from the back of the monsters head, throwing the orb in-front of her and eyebeaming it into nothingness. She flew over its explosion, taking notice of the two other eruptions that took place at either side of her.

The shockwave whipped her taut ponytail around as Bunny and Bubbles flew up beside her.

In the arms of the Buttercups, the monster had gone limp, and even with superhearing, one would have had to strain to hear the weak growl that escaped its lips in a last expulsion of defiance before it was dropped to the ground, flopping lifelessly against the asphalt.

Buttercup and her clones floated up to meet her sisters.

Bunny huffed out a breath. "Man, talk about an intransigent son of a bi—" she ceased as Blossom's scolding look. "Monster. A really, really stubborn monster." she amended.

"I'm still not completely used to this," Bubbles said in reference to the four pairs of green eyes that stared back at her.

"Oh yeah?" the four Buttercups said in unison. Bubbles _eeped_. Just one of the dark-haired girls burst out laughing this time as the three others reverted to wisps of energy and got suctioned back into the original Buttercup.

* * *

"And there you have it folks! It was a close match, and our heroes even looked on the ropes for periods of it! But they managed to turn it around and pulled another victory for team Powerpuff!" Boomer commentated into an imaginary microphone in his hands. "Your thoughts, Butch?" he held it up to his gurgling brother.

"Bunny's hips plus Blossom's legs?" he whispered, love-struck, "I'd do anything to get in a girl like that, _anything_."

"Alright!" Boomer maintained his faux-exuberance. "Anything to add, Brick?"

"They took too long to make a simple, analytically informed decision," Brick said, lip curling in disapproval. "They could have X-Rayed it after initial engagement and been done with it. Not to mention a lack of cohesion 'cause of Buttercup. I doubt this team would survive under harsher, less time-friendly circumstances."

"Spoken by the Idea Man himself! Round us up Bear?" Boomer swiveled to him.

Bear stared through the window with a characteristically vacant expression, watching as Blossom and Buttercup argued some more, but his attention wasn't really on them. Bunny studied the carcass below them, ruminating on something definitely. _She could've handled this on her own_ , he thought to himself, unsure why he was certain of it. He still hadn't pressed about her special power, but if she'd honed it anywhere close to the level he'd honed his since they were born, then this should have been a piece of cake. And he got the feeling she knew, the way she'd sputtered and deflected the topic yesterday, like she was scared of it, scared of the depth of her power or something. Which didn't make sense to him...

After a prolonged silence, which prompted Brick and Butch to also look at him, he simply said...

"They're not bad."

"You heard it from the experts! Tune in next time on Powerpuff Mania!" Boomer closed, dropping the invisible mic.

"Well, that was largely underwhelming. Remind me to thank you guys later for wasting my time." Brick groused as he turned and began to make his way to the door.

"Oh c'mon! You're being harsh, I think they were pretty kickass." Boomer said in the girls' defense, lobbing the cushion on his shoulder as he tailed Brick.

"You think the God damn Power Rangers are kickass. I don't think your take is adequately undergirded," Brick said flatly.

"Just the OG Mighty Morphin' Rangers" Boomer corrected. He glanced at the cushion, suddenly wondering why he was carrying it. He shrugged it off. "I want a ride home."

"You're not getting in my car with that _thing_ on your back."

"Shit!" Boomer halted, taking hold of the straps like he just remembered they were there. "That's right, Bubbles doesn't know where our place is, I still have to head back to school to take her there."

Now Brick halted, whirling a furious eye on Boomer. "You're bringing her to our _house_?"

Boomer blinked. "Yeah, we've got a Choir assignment. We gotta practice."

"Why can't you do that over at her place?"

"She said she'd prefer to do it at ours," Boomer replied, giving his brother a weird look.

Brick's glare lingered on a catatonic Boomer a few moments longer, before he huffed an exasperated sigh. "Great, just what I need, a _Powerpuff_ in my space," he grumped, having resumed his walk to the door. "Just keep her _away_ from my room. Got it?"

"But what if, like, I want to give her a tour or something?" Boomer said that one just to fuck with him, and Brick bit.

Just before he exited the door, Brick held it open and turned to Boomer, his expression cold and his eyes glowing a dim but frightening red. "I'm capable of dark things brother, don't test me." he said in warning, before shutting the door.

Boomer rolled his eyes with a smirk, bounding up to the door and leaving the room right after him.

The girls had just dispersed, Buttercup lifted the monsters' corpse off the street and flew towards the city's docks, her sisters went in the opposite direction. Leaving a somber Butch in their wake. With his eye candy gone, he decided it was time to leave as well.

"You're going to practice with the band right?" he asked Bear, who drew his out his fifth stick and decided to pocket the pack.

"Mhm." he answered as he lighted the cig and planted his feet on the ground, turning to an awaiting Butch, whose gaze was hopeful.

Bear kept from rolling his eyes. "Yes, you can come."

Butch's eyes suddenly went misty as he sniffled and clasped Bear's shoulders, looking right into his eyes. "You're the best brother ever."

Bear in turn just stared back at him, blank faced, before bluntly saying, "Stop touching me."

* * *

Boomer—who stayed back in the empty school parking lot—bid his farewells to his brothers as they sped off in their respective rides. Brick and Bear's cars diverted in opposite directions at a junction as the latter headed to Harry's place. People had only just begun to filter back into the streets so, without any form traffic, they got there in under six minutes.

Bear parked at the side of the road in-front of Harry's house about the same time Bunny landed right in-front of the garage. She turned back, confused to see him just arriving.

"Dude, where the hell were you?" Harry called to Bear as he and Butch stepped down from his car.

"Hey Sugar," Butch sneered at Bunny. She only narrowed her eyes dangerously at him as he strode past her, sniggering. She looked back to Bear who slung his electric—that had been in his backseat—over his shoulder.

"Where were you?"

"Had to get some groceries," he replied, monotone.

Bunny stared at him, allowing herself a dinky smirk. "You went shopping during a monster attack?"

"You guys were like, five streets away, and a nigga needs his bread." He shrugged, smiling when she laughed.

"Sexy." Butch opined, jerking his head at Kim's curtain of dyed pink hair.

The girl was unsure how to respond, so she opted to nod, uttering a slow, "Thanks."

"Don't touch anything dude." Mitch said once Butch plopped down beside him on the sofa behind all the set-up equipment. Butch touched a hand to his chest, issuing Mitch a disheartened look, "Your distrust hurts me." He said, smirking as he snatched Mitch's drumsticks out of his hands.

"Where's Buttercup?" Pablo asked as Bear and Bunny joined them.

"She's on Monster clean-up duty, my dad called her home to help with dinner anyway" Bunny answered, clapping her hands. "Alright, let's make some music."

Bear shot a warning glare to Butch, who swallowed the sexual innuendo that bubbled in his throat.

* * *

With her sisters all occupied with one thing or the other, Blossom was the first one to get home.

She could hear her dad shuffling around the lab downstairs as she closed the door behind her. She made a quick pit stop at the kitchen on her way to her room, fetching a box of pop tarts from a cabinet. For all her general dislike towards overly sugar-packed snacks, those toaster pastries were her one weakness. She thought, as she read 'Chocolate Mocha' on the flavor banner right below the signature logo and smiled impishly.

She extracted two from the box and popped them in the microwave. She placed them in a saucer once they were done and made her way up to her room.

She laid the saucer down on her white desk, picking up one tart and munching into it. Her eyes glazed over as she chewed, seriously, these things were criminal. She straightened one of the canvases leaning against the wall above a long wooden support plank that extended from the wall, mentally noting that she needed to wash at least two of them out.

Blossom almost grumped, and while she could stop herself from exuding any verbal grievance, she couldn't stop her face from twisting in closely recognizable ire. She hated how, these days, she couldn't think about her one profound passion without a certain supercilious, peevish boy stepping into the frame of her mind.

She was still just, absolutely _muddled_ that someone like _him_ would be sharing a creative class with _her_. She struggled to fit Brick anywhere near the definition of 'Art', especially given his errant history—its existence still very prominent as far as she was concerned—and non-artistic exterior.

Her phone chimed. She picked it out of her pants pocket, backtracking to retrieve the second tart that awaited her. She read the name on the screen and hesitated just as she was about to bite into it.

She slided the green phone icon to the right and placed the phone on her ear.

"Ms Bellum? What's the emergency?"

"Blossom, thank goodness. Is Bubbles with you?" Sara requested, wordlessly dismissing Blossom's worry of danger.

"No, I'm the only one at home right now."

"Ah, regardless, clear up your schedule, I want to speak to you both on Saturday."

Blossom dropped the pastry. "What for? Is there something wrong?" Blossom asked, her tone carrying a similar intensity to when she analyzed a monster right before an attack.

"Everything is fine Blossom, don't fret." Sara assured, placating Blossom. "I need to speak to you girls concerning an event I have planned."

* * *

"You actually waited."

"'Course I did." Boomer smiled up at a descending Bubbles, stripping off her bag and handing it to her. She worded a thanks and placed it around her shoulders.

"All in a days work?" He inquired, motioning towards the city as he rose to the air as well.

Bubbles grinned sheepishly. "The monster was a little stubborn, but yeah, basically."

"You know, it's honestly kinda hard to envision you locked in battle with giant, ugly monsters" Boomer said as they took off.

"I look more the part in my supersuit." Bubbles giggled.

They flew away from the suburbs and into the city, Boomer leading the way until they touched down at the Boys' place. Bubbles tried not to gape, but she was finding it incredibly difficult as she scanned the quadrilateral structured marble house in-front of them. The windows were blurred from the outside, only the ivory light from within was illuminant amidst the dimming grey ambience of the evening sky. The days gave way to the dark much earlier recently.

"This is your house?" She said, her voice coming out smaller than she intended.

"Yup Yup." Boomer answered, beaming back at her. He whipped out his key and opened the door, he stood by it, waiting for Bubbles to shuffle in before closing it.

Bubbles thought she should maybe stop swirling her head around like a child in a toy store, but she couldn't help herself. Aside from the aesthetic allure, the house was _huge_.

"So, should we work on the kitchen table? Or you want to come up to my room?" Boomer asked. Bubbles was instantly _rocked_ from her awe-stricken musings, she swiftly turned to him, inadvertently reddening in shock.

"What?" She cried.

The boy before her simply blinked, jabbing a thumb at the stairs behind him, "Wanna go get started in my room? Or in the kitchen? Or would you be more comfortable on the—"

"The kitchen's fine," she blurted, coughing lightly.

"Cool," Boomer grinned. "Let me go get my notes... do you have a speaker with you?" he paused at the foot of the stairs, turning to face her, brows risen in question. She shook her head and he continued his ascent.

Once he was gone Bubbles' feet carried her into the living room. She gazed over the sofas, taking in the beautiful flowers that sprouted from a vase on one of the glass stools. There was a wide floor space behind the sofas, where a small bar stood against the wall, but what arrested her attention was the Grand Piano. She floated to it, brushing her fingers against the cover as she eyed the interior. She drifted around it and tapped in a few keys.

She found herself smiling, she wasn't quite adept at playing the piano, and even that was overstating her ability. The only one in her household who wouldn't look stupid sat in-front of a piano was Bunny. But despite that, no matter how discordant the keys she played were, they still managed to sound melodious, the piano was just that kind of instrument.

She suddenly heard someone unlocking the door and jerked to. Brick strode into view, heading straight for the stairs. He seemed to catch her figure in his side eye and stopped, facing her.

She made an attempt at cordiality. "Hi Brick." she waved, smiling affably.

Brick's staid face only thickened, he narrowed his eyes at her and continued towards the stairs without so much as a glance in her direction.

She frowned, following his form till he disappeared up the steps. Her hand dropped just as Boomer reappeared, speaker in hand, note in the other.

"What are you doing over there?" Boomer snorted as he made his way to the kitchen.

He set his speaker down on the dining table and drew a seat out. Bubbles floated into the kitchen, taking the seat beside him.

"So contemporary, do you have anything in mind?" Boomer asked, flicking his pen against the blank pages on his open notepad.

"Well, I was thinking we could do Cristina, or maybe Toni?" Bubbles suggested, already scrolling through her phone.

Boomer wrote them down, nodding in agreement. "If we eventually go the less mainstream route I think we should do Norah."

Bubbles arched a brow. "Who?"

"Norah Jones" Boomer answered. "She's under the radar mostly, but she has an amazing voice, she's got that one song, uh..."

Boomer snapped his fingers repeatedly, trying to jog his memory.

"Like a flower... waiting to bloom. Like a lightbulb..."

"... in a dark room" Bubbles joined in as the tune reestablished itself in her memory.

"I'm just sittin' here, waiting for you to come home and... turn me on." They both sang, smiling into the lyrics.

"Turn Me On! Yeah, I know that song," Bubbles beamed.

"Yeah, exactly! We're gonna kill it!" Boomer laughed as he scribbled Nora's name among the potential singers they'd cover. Bubbles giggled at his enthusiasm.

"Okay okay, turn on your Bluetooth." Bubbles requested, still sputtering with laughter. Boomer grabbed the speaker and activated the Bluetooth. Bubbles had just switched hers on when she heard another door opening.

She swiveled to the direction the sound had come from, Boomer simply picked up his pen. "Who is that?" she asked.

"Hm?" Boomer turned, urging her to ask again, but it turned out not to be necessary.

Bubbles felt her mouth slack as Olivia emerged through the kitchen frame, a lab coat hanging over her casual attire. She huffed out a fatigued breath as she grabbed a glass off the counter.

"Hey honey," she greeted, flicking the tap up as water spewed from it into her glass.

"Hey mom!" Boomer simpered. "You done for today?"

"Unfortunately not, there's still quite a few materials I haven't teste—" she paused, the rim of the glass millimeters from her mouth. Bubbles stared back, in equal, if not superior befuddlement. Actually on her part it was more... amazement. She felt as though she was looking at a character that had sprung from the pages of a work of fiction. After all those years of highly curtailed descriptions from her dad... here she was, she was staring her right in the face.

"Oh, right." Boomer gestured at Bubbles. "Mom, this is—"

"Bubbles, Bubbles Utonium." Olivia finished, dropping her glass back on the counter.

Bubbles seemed to snap to. "Uh... yes! Hello Ms Venus, it's... it's nice to finally meet you." She could not believe that was her attempt at composure.

Though, her nerves did settle dramatically when Olivia's lips curled up into an amiable smile.

"Why, you've grown into such a pretty girl."

Bubbles was taken aback, taking a moment to register Olivia's words. "Oh. Well, thank you ma'am," she said, blushing at the compliment.

"There's no need for such formality dear. Boomer, where are your manners? Get the girl a drink."

"Damn, sorry." Boomer stood.

"What? No, that's okay, you don't have to—" Olivia was already waving off Bubbles' protest as she turned to Boomer. "Get her some apricot juice." He nodded and slided over to the fridge.

Bubbles—quickly realizing she had little say in the matter—decided against further demurral.

"So, to what do I owe the honor of having a Powerpuff Girl grace my home?" Olivia beamed down at her.

Bubbles couldn't help but laugh bashfully. "Well, Boomer and I have an assignment for Choir. We... kind of got paired up, so we're working on the song we're going to perform" she finished just as Boomer returned with two glasses filled with apricot juice.

"Well, how about that for a coincidence." Olivia said, and Bubbles had to laugh at the sheer irony. "Do you see yourself doing anything with singing?"

"I honestly can't say, I love to sing but I'm more interested in dance" Bubbles replied.

"She's the Vice Captain of the Cheer Squad!" Boomer accentuated with a grin.

"I'm not surprised in that case" Olivia smiled. "Any forms of dance specifically?"

"I'm a sucker for Ballroom, though its the most recent form I've picked up I'd dare to call it my strong suit—" Olivia's eyes flickered to Boomer, who was now giving Bubbles his rapt attention.

"—I also love Ballet though, and I'd say I'm fairly good at Latin and Hip-Hop as well" Bubbles answered, smiling as modestly as she could.

"My my, such versatility. How long have you been dancing?"

"About ten years." she answered Olivia.

Olivia nodded, impressed. "And there's a dance program at Townsville High?"

"Is there?" Boomer asked, sipping his juice cryptically.

Bubbles shook her head, her expression dimming just a tad. "Unfortunately not, the seniors that just graduated tried to appeal for one, but the school just doesn't have the funding."

"That's a shame," Olivia said, meaning it. "I can just tell you'd light up any game you get the chance to _properly_ perform at."

Bubbles couldn't stop smiling, literally, her cheeks were starting to hurt. But how could she _not_ smile, when this incredibly sweet woman was bombarding her with so many compliments. Compliments were one of the many things she liked to receive, especially in regard to her passion. For some reason, she hadn't expected her to be so... warm. Her dad had never painted her as a villain, or even as a remotely bad person, he'd honestly just... never painted her, period. And Bubbles was both shocked and pleased at the kind of person Olivia seemed to be.

"I have to get back to work now" Olivia announced, standing off from her leaned position. "But it was such a pleasure to meet you Bubbles."

"Thank you! You too Ms Venus." Bubbles thanked.

Olivia gave her one last smile before turning and making her way out the kitchen, grabbing her glass of water on the way.

Bubbles turned back to Boomer, her smile ubiquitous.

"Oh, and Bubbles?!" she heard Olivia's voice call out.

"Yes?!" she projected back.

"Say 'Hello' to your father for me!"

Bubbles' grin twitched, only momentarily. "I will!"

* * *

The water sputtered out the faucet as Brick turned off the shower, warm, despite the sizzling weather. He'd tried to go to bed once he got home, a decision which backfired immensely. He ended up taking a fifty-fifty chance of refreshment nap, and woke up on the wrong side of the probability. Welcomed back to consciousness with a piercing headache.

He felt better now though, showering always had a tranquilizing effect on him. As he strode past his brothers' rooms, he could make out Bubbles bidding her farewell to Boomer from downstairs. He swung his door open, flicking on the lights to replace the murk.

He emerged from his closet fully clothed minutes later. The sunlight that filtered into his room had disappeared as the moonlight creeped in. He shuffled to his window, grabbing the curtains as he pulled them closed completely. He hated leaving them open, hated the sight of this city even from a passing side glance.

He floated over to his desk, shifting his sketchpads aside and pulling his laptop up. He sunk in his chair as it booted, glancing at the wall above his closet door where his clock was placed.

_Tick, Tock_

It was Wednesday. How the fuck was it still Wednesday? How had it been just three days since he started at that wretched school? How had it been just three weeks since he moved to this wretched city?

_Tick, Tock_

Just the mere, conscious knowledge that he was here aggravated him to no end. This city was a constant reminder of the life he'd profusely tried to escape from. A life of duress under the guise of tutelage. A life of incessant scurrility from those _rats_ , a bunch of secondary creatures who hunkered behind the heroics of three little girls, thinking they knew anything about him, thinking he would have _willingly_ deigned their pitiful city with his time.

_Tick, Tock_

Like he would have wasted his talents on juvenile delinquency if he'd had the agency. Like he couldn't level their whole fucking city to the ground even now—

He paused, catching himself in that thought. He sunk lower and exhaled a heavy groan. No, he had to stop entertaining those thoughts. He wasn't that person anymore... he couldn't be. He glanced at his screen, the laptop had long since booted.

_Tick Tock_

Brick hated it here. "I hate it here" he externalized, feeling just as inflamed as he had before speaking.

"Brick!" His mom called, her tone carried a bit of urgency. His eyes flickered to his door, lingering on it a few more seconds until she called out his name again. His head swiveled back to his clock, only three minutes had passed. He abruptly decided he wanted a new one.

He exited his room and zipped down the stairs, where Olivia was waiting with her phone pressed against her ear. Brick noted the troubled look on her face as he stalked up to her.

"Yeah mom?" he said upon reaching her, his eyes roamed to the living room where Boomer was sprawled on one of the long sofas, remote in hand.

She seemed to be finishing up conversation with whoever was on the phone. "Alright then. Yes, he's here." She said, finally looking up at Brick.

The boy assumed a slightly confused look as she held out the phone to him.

"Who is it?" he asked, already taking it from her hand.

"Jean Morbucks." Olivia answered, her expression uneasy.

 _Jean Morbucks_ , Brick repeated the name to himself, it sounded eerily familiar. "Hello?"

"Brick, a pleasure. I assume you've been informed who you're speaking with." a husky, debonair voice greeted on the other end of the line.

"I have, the pleasure is all mine," Brick replied, unsure why he reflexively straightened, and cleared his voice. "I'm afraid I'm not entirely familiar with your person sir, if I'm being honest."

"All in due time," Mr Morbucks replied. "I want to make you an offer."

Brick was confused, but his curiosity took precedence. "What kind of offer?"

"I'd like to patronize you. I understand you're quite adept at Photography, yes?"

Brick physically nodded. "I believe myself to be."

Olivia scrutinized Brick as he palavered with the apparent wealthiest man in Townsville on the phone. She was failing miserably at self dousing her worry, so she decided to make her way back into the kitchen. She turned towards the sofas just before she entered.

"Call your brothers Boomer, tell them to come home."

"Okay," Boomer obliged, dropping the remote and reaching for his phone.

Olivia's eyes whirred back on Brick, a line forming between her brows. Her frown deepened as he zipped up to his room, voicing the need for a pen and paper.

_~End: Ch. 2~_


	3. Be Quiet, I'm Thinking

**III - Be Quiet, I'm Thinking** **-** _Zed_

"Sinning Twins?" Bubbles asked, as Susie dragged her towards the auditorium.

"Yeah, that's the name of the play. I read Billy's script, it looks pretty good." Susie answered.

They had a free block now and Susie had insisted that Bubbles follow her to sit in at the Theater class's open auditions. Boomer was also in Theater—which hadn't come as a surprise to her, he was clearly a very expressive person—as Susie had mentioned, and he was undoubtedly going to be auditioning as well. She was surprised that he hadn't mentioned anything about it, though, to be fair, it wasn't like they'd talked much about anything besides Choir.

In all honesty, Bubbles was kind of eager to see him audition. It still nearly disoriented her whenever she heard him sing, the practice sessions they'd had at his house did little to diminish this effect, she suspected it was certainly going to take a little getting used to seeing Boomer doing... normal things.

They reached the auditorium, taking care to open the doors softly—it was one of Mr Hughes' unspoken rules.

There were no more than twelve or so people randomly littered across the seats. Susie pulled them towards the front seats in the middle column, they settled on the third row, just behind Mr Hughes and his assistant. Turned out, they were right on time.

Billy walked into view from behind the curtains, shaking off the last of his nerves. Bubbles and Susie waved to get his attention, and he shot a glance at them as he reached the middle of the stage, coloring as Susie blew him a kiss.

"Okay Billy," Mr Hughes motioned for him to begin.

Bubbles remembered Susie telling her that each student would be performing a monologue for their audition, written by Mr Hughes himself. Billy took a deep breath, steeled his expression, then launched into the lines. Susie had to exercise a significant amount of restraint not to shriek her excitement as Billy finished his audition. Bubbles noticed this and laughed, she forgot just how big of a dork her friend could be sometimes, especially when it involved her boyfriend.

They sat through a few more auditions, with Bubbles growing slightly anxious as they waited for Boomer. Soon enough, he was striding towards the center of stage with the same confidence she'd seen on Monday at his Induction performance.

He immediately flashed the girls a wide smile—having been informed by Billy backstage that they were present—eliciting a mirrored response from Bubbles. "Good luck" she mouthed as he waited for the go-ahead from his teacher. Once given, the grin on his face instantly dissolved, he faced the ground, the frames of his curly hair shadowing his eyes. There was a sudden dip in the room's atmosphere, not in a way that antagonized the current rapport in the auditorium, but rather, the room retained its unity, and its unified attention was suddenly focused on Boomer.

"Good?" his mutter projected, "I haven't slept in two... I haven't slept in three days. I haven't seen my family in five. I drove twelve dang _miles_ to deliver those _STUPID_ costumes for you and all you're going to say is _good_!?" he flared, really, he did. Bubbles knew this was an audition, but she had legitimately twitched at his outburst.

The smile she'd worn a few seconds ago had been replaced with parted lips, all but mesmerized as he went through the scene. She watched as Boomer—no, whoever was on the stage at this very moment—cried in anger. Because the minute he'd opened his mouth, he transformed into someone else. She could make out his eyes from here. Red. Red and threatening to spill over with tears. How had he managed to do that? She'd been looking right at his goofy simper not two minutes ago.

The rest of the room watched with analogous awe, arrested by the performance that was being portrayed before them.

A realization hit Bubbles then as an image of a five-year old Boomer flying at her with harmful intent flickered in her mind, looking a complete stranger when she put him next to the seventeen year old boy on stage. This was a different Boomer, a Boomer who could sing, a Boomer who had a vintage sense of style, a Boomer who really didn't seem like he cared about inane activities like stealing vending machines and beating up a little girl.

This was Boomer, as he sniffled after relaying his last line, looking up at the seats as though they were filled to capacity as a single tear dripped down his cheek and he scowled, before storming off the stage, leaving a wave of scattered but raucous applause in his wake.

It was Susie's clapping right next to her that jolted Bubbles from her trance, she slowly rose her hands to applaud him as well, her eyes following him till he disappeared behind the curtains.

She felt like she wanted to say so much, to verbalize what she _really_ thought about what Boomer had just done on stage now. Ultimately, she only found herself whispering a...

"Wow."

* * *

Blossom sped up on her way to Poetry class, she'd gotten so immersed in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird—a work of genius, she had to say—that she'd actually missed the first bell.

She found herself smiling as she strode through the scanty halls. She was incredibly excited for poetry this year, the School Board had decided to separate it from English Literature so it stood as a class on its own. Blossom—an adorer of the art form—had been elated at this news. It was about time it got the recognition it deserved, and as someone who'd excelled in poetry exercises last year, she was beside herself with glee at the chance to expand her horizons in a full fledged course.

She reached the class right after another student and closed the door behind her as they filed in, beating the second bell by about ten seconds. She flashed an apologetic smile at Mrs Perlman who waved it off with a smile of her own. She retained her smile as she turned, scanning for a free seat. This class had long desks with two chairs pushed under each, most of the desks were fully occupied, save for—

Blossom paused, her smile falling as her bright expression gave way to shock. _I should have listened for the_ _bell_ , she instantly thought to herself reproachfully. There was only one free seat, under the desk where—

"Blossom?" The girl snapped to. "Take a seat." Mrs Perlman said, her smile laced with perturbation. Blossom blinked, then looked back to the free seat.

Bear looked up from his notepad, eyes meeting Blossom's. Her gaze flickered down to her shoes as she made for the desk.

She perched down on the seat, making sure to keep her eyes on her books as she set them down and peeled open her notepad. She could see him looking at her in the edge of her vision, she swallowed, promising herself to never read with Earphones on during school hours ever again.

For all that she doubted the Boys' return to town was a mere coincidence, she now wondered if that proposition extended to the boy beside her. She'd heard Bunny mention that he was the new guitarist in her band, and she'd meant to caution her sister on her heedlessness until she realized, she didn't know this Rowdyruff. She'd never even physically seen him till just a few days ago, and that—for some reason—made this current situation extremely uncomfortable for her.

He said nothing, in-fact, he turned away from her once their teacher started the class. That was it? He wasn't going to say anything? Well, it wasn't as though he had any particular reason to talk to her, and vice versa. But still, they were _right next_ to each other, she could literally hear him breathing.

Blossom sat upright, slightly leaning forward with her elbows propped on the desk and her fingers interlocked. Bear on the other hand was marginally reclined on his seat, faintly tapping his pen against the blank white of his note, insouciant.

Well then, she supposed that was that. She focused her attention on Mrs Perlman, not wanting to appear disoriented in-front of him, besides—she thought with reinvigorated certitude—he _was_ a Rowdyruff Boy at the end of the day. If he grew up with them, she imagined the apple wouldn't have fallen very far from the tree.

The class progressed with neither one of them speaking a word to each other, nearly ten minutes to the end of the period their teacher called for a little sharing before the class ended.

"I've spoken to some of you personally, and you've expressed your excitement for this class. So, I want us to make it as interactive as possible. Would anybody like to share?" Mrs Perlman said, and a couple of people rose their hands.

Blossom was one of them, she smiled broadly as her teacher's eyes landed on her. "Alright, Blossom." She stood to encouraging clapping from her classmates, Bear included. She darted the briefest of glances at him as she made her way to the front of the class. His intent stare mildly disquieted her, but she was able to douse the unease by focusing anywhere but him.

"Tell us the name of your poem, then read it out." Mrs Perlman directed, moving to sit on her desk, giving way to Blossom.

Blossom nodded and cleared her throat as she brought her notepad up to her face. "The name of this poem is Teeth." There were a few perplexed murmurs that emanated from the class. She tried not to, but Blossom couldn't help but notice Bear lean forward, interest visibly clear on his face.

"The day I lost my very first tooth, Was halfway through grade four..." she started and the muttering ceased. Silence pervaded the room, Blossom's voice—tender and clement as she read—resonated, providing a soothing background to the quietness.

"... I'd run my tongue along the gap, Where my tooth had been before, I remember I went home crying, And showed it to my mom..." Bear's eyes were locked on her as the words sunk in, ardent with focus.

"... She told me that a brand new tooth, Would grow up in my gum, In a while the gap would stop feeling strange, I wouldn't notice that the tooth was gone—"

"—The only reason I missed it now, Was because it was there for so long, Then slowly but surely over the weeks, In the gap a new tooth grew, And now it makes me wonder, If people are like teeth too."

She finished, closing her pad and facing the rest of them. Mrs Perlman launched into applause, and the rest of the class followed enthusiastically.

"Very inspiring Blossom." The girl beamed thankfully and made her way back to her seat as her teacher called for someone else to step up.

"That was really good."

Blossom—right after she'd sat—inadvertently whirled her head so fast she almost got whiplash. Bear stared back at her, seemingly impressed. Although, it was difficult to tell from his perfunctory visage.

Blossom blinked. "Oh, thank you." she said, surprised that he had spoken to her, much less commended her writing. He simply nodded before redirecting his attention to the person who'd just begun to read their poem. Blossom blinked again at his candor, unsure what to make it of it, or if there was even anything _to_ be made. She chose to avert her eyes.

They clapped as the second student finished his reading. "Okay, I think we have time for one more," Mrs Perlman said, taking a look at her watch. "Anyone?"

Bear raised his hand enough to indicate, Blossom turned to look at him, suddenly curious about his poetic aptitude. This obviously wasn't exactly a realm of art that picked the interest of the average High School student, the scarce integer of students in this class—she counted twelve, including herself—only served to prove that point. She recognized about four of them from her AP English class so she imagined that, at the very least, there were no novices seated here.

"Sorry guys," Mrs Perlman grinned to others whose hands were risen. "Bear gets 'new student' bias from me today." she said, and the class laughed as Bear shifted out of his seat. He left his notepad on his side of the desk, Blossom almost called to him, but guessed that if he didn't carry it, he probably didn't need it. Which only inflated her curiosity.

"No notepad?" Mrs Perlman inquired once he'd gotten to the front of the class. "You don't have your poem written down?"

"I do, but I know it offhand." Bear answered, facing her.

"Still, this is a reading after all. For culture's sake," she said beseechingly.

He grunted, shifting his gaze to the table he shared with Blossom, whose eyes then threatened to bulge out of her sockets as the small book next to her began to float. It soared over the heads of a few students and floated right into Bear's awaiting hand.

 _So that's his special power then_ , Blossom thought as he flipped the note open.

"So fucking cool," a male voice whispered in awe.

"Language Mason!" Blossom and Mrs Perlman reprimanded in unison. The boy who'd been scolded hunkered down in his seat and the class collectively returned their gaze to a biding Bear.

"The name of this poem is A Dark Place." Bear said. Blossom sat just a little straighter.

"Some are born to delight, Some are born to endless night, Our existence is but a brief crack of light, Between two eternities of darkness, Where little souls are housed by walking corpses..."

Blossom felt her peering eyes soften, morphing from inquisitive to incandescent.

"...But there is a forest dark and deep, where we are offered eternal sleep, You speak as though you offer peace, Life said to death, I offer serenity, Death answered life, Life asked again, Then why do people love me but hate you..."

He paused, simply to take a breath, but the effect it had on the class was anything but casual. Blossom inclined, too enthralled by his reading to be shocked at the fact that _he_ was the one wrote this.

"...Death answered, Because you are a beautiful lie, And I am a painful truth." He finished, closing his note and looking up at his classmates.

Everyone just stared back at him, gobsmacked. It was only when Bear turned to look at Mrs Perlman that she remembered to clap. The rest of the class followed as she did so, Blossom's hands moved on their own, really, as she contributed to the gentle applause.

"That was very good Bear. Very... raw." Mrs Perlman said, smiling fervidly. Bear nodded an appreciative thanks as he strode back to his seat, Blossom only just then retained the sense to look away from him.

The bell went as soon as he sat down. Mrs Perlman instructed them to focus on early works of Thomas Hardy for next week's class before dismissing them.

The class stood as one body, moving hastily for the doors, the lot of them most likely heading to the cafeteria. Bear gathered his books in a much more subdued manner, as did Blossom, though that was down to her having not fully recovered from his jarring poem. She looked to him just as he made to stand up. She honestly wanted to say something, he'd touted her so she felt it only custom to return the favor.

"Hey—" she called, he was already up on his feet. He paused and looked down at her. "I—I really liked your poem." She said, deciding to—momentarily—discard her distrust towards him. An artistic courtesy, if you will.

He looked at her, his face staid as he simply nodded and replied with a "Thanks," then, after a moment, "Blossom." He said, before shuffling towards the door.

Blossom only stared.

* * *

"Dude, you are _so_ getting the lead!" Billy exclaimed, lightly punching Boomer in the shoulder.

Boomer chortled at the praise. "There's two leads remember, you'll defo get Jack." he said in reference to the other twin written for the play.

Bubbles chuckled from his side, they were seated with Billy and Susie in the cafeteria, as well as a few others from Choir and Theater.

"Man you've even got the hairstyle, we never stood a chance" one of the guys from Theater said to Boomer as the table erupted into laughter. True to fact, Boomer's hair was in-fact what one could call a modernized rendition of the popular 90's middle part—it was making some sort of comeback apparently—and his curls only accentuated it.

Boomer grinned widely as they continued to chatter, waving off the compliment. It was true though, given that she didn't know much about acting, she'd sat in at quite a few auditions since she'd always had friends in Theater, and no audition piece had arrested her the way Boomer's had. She was still thinking about how he did that and was back to his yeasty self when he and Billy came over to her and Susie once the period was over. His eyes dry as a bone.

"By the way, I heard your brother's Ravenhead's guitarist now." Susie said to Boomer.

He nodded enthusiastically in response.

"Wait, which one of them?" one of the other girls asked.

"Bear." Boomer answered, and there was a collective coo from the table's female occupants.

"He's so cute."

"You know he has a tattoo?"

"OMG yes I sat beside him in Chemistry! It's like a bear paw, on his neck."

"So creative." another girl sighed.

"You know, Brick is pretty hot too."

"I want to wrap myself in his hair."

"No way you can touch that boy's jaw without getting cut."

"Speaking of cut, have you _seen_ Butch's shirtless posts online?"

"Shut up?! What's his handle?"

Billy abruptly raised his hands in some false approximation of frustration. "Oh great! Get ready for a hostile takeover guys," he said to those of his gender.

"I just spent like forty bucks on a haircut and a new piercing. For what?" the boy from earlier groused, catalyzing another round of guffaws.

"I mean, it's only fair if you think about it" Susie ventured. "Us girls have had to compete with Bubbles and her sisters since forever."

"Stop it." Bubbles said, shaking her head as she laughed at their silliness.

"That's a fact actually, this is karma. Suck it up." One of the girls directed at the male half of the table.

"Yep, we're the ones with the hunting gear now." another girl said, directing an innocent smile at Boomer.

Any girl who wasn't Susie or Bubbles quickly did the same.

"I feel very sexualized right now," Boomer said, raising his phone to reveal the app he was currently on. "You guys want to get cancelled?"

Bubbles very nearly choked with laughter. The way she jerked caused Boomer to cackle as well, their laughs mixing in with everyone else's.

"Sooo," Julie's voice cut through as the laughter subsided, grinning at Bubbles.

"What?" Bubbles answered through her fading giggles.

"Got anything planned for the big day?"

The Puff's face suddenly lit up in remembrance. "Oh!" She beamed.

"Big day? What's the big day? Why is it larger than other days?" Boomer inquired, head swiveling between the two girls.

"She's talking about me and my sisters' birthday" Bubbles answered, smile lengthening.

"For real? That's crazy! When is it?" Boomer asked, grinning at her.

"A couple Thursdays from now."

"Are you guys going to do anything?" one of the girls asked.

Bubbles shook her head. "Nothing big, I mean, _I_ kind of-maybe-possibly have a contingency plan for an extravagant outing. You know, just in-case my sisters change their minds." Bubbles said cryptically.

"If those girls know what's good for them, they better leave you in-charge of you guys' eighteenth." Susie laughed.

"Oh. They don't really have a choice" Bubbles said, and for a moment Boomer felt as though he could feel the shivers of a threat mixed in with her laugh.

"So what's seventeen going to look like?" Boomer asked, shaking the chill off.

"We're actually just planning to hangout with a bunch of our friends. Haven't decided where yet." Bubbles answered. She looked at him then, considering. "You know, you should be there."

Boomer grinned. "That sounded more like a demand than a request."

"Did I stutter?" Bubbles said with coltish authority.

"Forgive me ma'am! I will ensure my presence at this ceremony!" Boomer saluted in obedience, beaming.

Bubbles chuckled as she sipped on her soda.

* * *

Coach Andrews' whistle rang loud through the gym, bringing the cacophony of squeaking feet and bouncing balls to a halt.

"Alright, starting to look sharp again guys," he bellowed, his face twisting in what passed as delight for him. "Now, I'm done with you guys till October but that's not an excuse to slack off. It's gonna be open gym till then."

The passel of teenage athletes collectively muttered their assent as they began to move towards the locker rooms, listening to their coach as he singled them out. "Donovan, work on your handles, you're looking like a squid out there. Jackson, I want those three pointers perfect by October. Venus, Utonium."

Two sets of green eyes flicked to him. "Keep it up." He commended with a nod.

Buttercup grunted. Butch smirked brazenly.

He whirled his eyes on her as they shuffled across the court. "You know, we'd make a killer two-man team Butterboo." He sneered.

"Call me that again and I'll kick your balls into your fucking stomach," she turned to him with a growl.

"Jesus. I don't know what kind of kinky shit you're into, but that's a little over the meter for m—"

"Fuck off!" Buttercup snapped, and it took all she had not to scream. Butch's smirk fell as she glared at him. "You better stop fucking bothering me. You're on thin ice motherfucker."

Butch's brows furrowed in confusion as she spun away from him. What was her deal? Given, he _had_ been mildly pestering her, but he'd noticed that her nastiness towards him seemed to be a default response. Simply entering her line of sight seemed to be enough to get her ticked off.

"Yo, what the fuck is your problem anyway?" Buttercup paused long enough to look at him. "If this is about that stupid villain shit, you gotta let it fucking g—"

He stopped at the bitter laugh that escaped her throat, his muddled expression only grew. She stared at him, her lip curling up in a warped image of amusement, as if to say; Are You Fucking Serious?

"What?" Butch inquired, frowning.

Buttercup's sardonic sneer melted into a look of sheer disgust as she shook her head. "You're so full of shit."

His face softened, the faint anger giving way to complete befuddlement. This time, he didn't call out to her as she strode away from him to the girls' locker room.

 _What the fuck? Why the hell was she looking at me like that?_ Butch thought, and was about to march up to her before an arm was suddenly hooked around his shoulders. He jerked to, finding it to be one of his teammates.

"You know dude, if you break our ankles during practice you're only weakening the team."

Butch laughed and threw his own arm around him. "You losers should spend less time ironing your jackets and actually practice then."

"Fuck you man." The boy laughed in good nature as they approached their locker room. "Hey, so, I got word on what you were looking for." He said in a lowered tone.

Butch's expression grew serious, Buttercup momentarily forgotten. He'd already gotten enough weed to last him at least a month—well, maybe three weeks for him—but he was what you could call; A Man of Many Tastes. He smirked broadly at the guy. "You know where I can get some?"

"This kid from Liberty High. He's on the down low but I know a few guys that go there so I got 'em to hook me up."

"He's got some good shit?"

The guy grinned. " _A 'lotta_ good shit bro."

* * *

Bunny glanced at her watch, a quarter to seven. The Battle of the Bands was set to commence in fifteen minutes. She wasn't worried, or anything of the sorts, the band had met up for one last practice session earlier and played through all the eight songs they intended to perform tonight flawlessly. She just wanted to get there on time, after all, she was interested in hearing the other bands, apart from gauging the competition, she wanted to have fun herself. The most prominent hindrance to that wish? Her sister.

"Bubbles, _seriously,_ we've got to be there in fifteen minutes!" Bunny clamored from the door of she and Buttercup's room.

"I'll be done in ten!" Came Bubbles' muffled reply from behind her door.

"You said that twenty minutes ago!" And this time, there was no reply, Bunny sighed and shuffled back into her room. She sat down at the vanity she and Buttercup shared, listlessly fluffing her hair. After a few minutes of mutual peering between her and her reflection she decided to change her necklace. Her phone chimed, she opened the text notification and saw it was from Pablo.

[ _You guys ready?_ ] _  
_

She quickly texted back. [ _Yeah, we are. Almost here?_ ] _  
_

[ _Will be in like 3 minutes_ ] _  
_

[ _Kay, waiting_ ] _  
_

She pocketed her phone and floated downstairs, past a reclined Buttercup on the couch, aimlessly flipping through the channels.

"Did you get her to haul some ass?" Buttercup asked, scrunching her face on a program she landed on.

"That a trick question or something?" Bunny groaned.

"You know, one of these days we 'ought to hide her kit." Buttercup said, then immediately seemed to reconsider it. She turned to the kitchen door where Bunny had poked her head out, her expression begging the question of Buttercup's sanity.

"Yeah, bad idea." Buttercup agreed, assuring Bunny she still had her screws tight. Neither one of them could even fathom the pandemonium that would erupt if Bubbles woke up to her make-up kit missing.

Bunny moved back into the kitchen, later emerging with two Pop Tart packs. She threw one to Buttercup who caught it without shifting her eyes from the TV.

"You know when Blossom is going to be back from her charity visit?" Bunny asked, plopping down beside her sister.

Buttercup whirred a confused look on her. "She had a charity visit?"

"Yeah, in Citiesville."

Buttercup's face contorted in disgust. "No fucking way? She went there by her own freewill? No blackmail?"

Bunny then assumed a reproachful look. "Your personal averseness for an environment should in no way hinder your inclination to aid the less privileged, something which you, quite frankly, need to do more of," she finished with her best Blossom impression.

"Dude... that was actually kind of scary." Buttercup said, lightly recoiling as she and Bunny cackled.

They continued to chatter casually, the cadence of the music channel Buttercup had settled on coloring the background.

Their doorbell rang suddenly and Bunny dashed over to answer the door. She swung it open to see Pablo grinning with his arms wide.

"Vamonos la chicha!" He exclaimed.

Bunny shook her head and smiled at him before turning an indignant eye to their staircase.

"Bubbles!"

"I'm almost done I swear!"

Bunny zipped up the stairs and barged into Bubbles' room. Pablo strode in, amused at the audible scuffle that was occurring upstairs.

"Where's Leader Girl?" He asked, helping himself to Bunny's unfinished snack.

"In Hell." Buttercup replied flatly.

Bunny—with no shortage of difficulty—eventually managed to drag Bubbles out of her room and urge her into Pablo's car as they all took off towards school.

* * *

Bear texted Bunny that he was on his way to school, while laid comfortably on his bed, ascertained that it was a safe bet to do so considering she _was_ a girl, and would most likely take a healthy amount of time to prepare. He stretched himself out and sat up, quickly texting Boomer and Butch to get ready as well.

As he did so, he quickly remembered he and his brothers shared only two bathrooms. He zipped out of his room and was at one of the doors in a flash, Boomer and Butch's doors flew open simultaneously. They looked to Bear down the hall with his hand on a knob, then to the free bathroom behind him, then to each other.

Butch zipped forward instantly. "Ha! Eat dust pus—" he started to taunt but was cut off as he rammed into a flickering sheet of blue energy. He fell to the ground, hearing a speedy _whoosh_ fly over him, by the time he looked up Boomer had his hand on the knob.

"Dickwad!" He affronted from his position on the floor.

Boomer flipped him off. "Eat dust pussy." He smirked and slid into the bathroom.

Butch's gaze lingered on the door with a peeved frown, before it shifted to Bear, who was still staring at him.

"What?"

"Just wanted to really rub your failure in your face."

"Go fuck yourself!"

"Can you guys shut the fuck up?!" Brick yelled from behind his door.

"Fuck you!" Butch retorted.

Bear laughed as he shut the bathroom door behind him.

A little over fifteen minutes later he was back in his room, stuffing his feet into his combat boots. He thought about texting Bunny, but he guessed she would text him when she got there anyway. He exited his room at about the same time Butch did his.

"Dude, when did you shower?" Bear asked as he shuffled down the steps, Butch right behind him.

His brother waved dismissively. "Waste 'a time, fixed myself up with some deodorant. Where's Boomer?"

"Probably taking videos of himself running his hands through his hair or something," Bear replied as he moved into the kitchen.

"I heard that!" came Boomer's voice as the door to his room audibly closed.

"We got any frozen burgers left?" Butch asked, floating above Bear as the latter opened the fridge.

"One more, but I think it's Brick's" Butch motioned for it anyway, and it floated up to him as Bear picked out a bottle of water.

Boomer appeared in the door frame, "You're going like that?"

Bear blinked at him. "Yeah."

Boomer shook his head, disapproving. He floated up and worked his fingers into Bear's hair, said boy only sighed as he uncapped the bottle. He had ceased trying to defy Boomer on these kinds of things long ago.

Bear's locks suddenly fell over his eyes as he gulped. He shifted them to frame his face as Boomer whizzed upstairs. His bottle was empty by the time Boomer returned with some silver hair rings, he clipped them on a few of Bear's locks strategically before drifting in-front of him, smiling proudly at his work.

"Are you done?" Bear asked with a dry look.

" _Now_ you look a fucking rock star" Boomer nodded his approval.

Bear simply binned the bottle and started for the front door. "Let's jet."

The microwave dinged. "You think I can get Bunny to sign my abs?" Butch said, taking a bite of the now hot burger as they made their way towards the garage.

"Last chance Brick!" Boomer yelled.

"Shut up!" came Brick's muffled reply.

Boomer whipped out his comb and began to slide it through Butch's fauxhawk. Butch snarled and fruitlessly swiped up at him.

"For fuck's sake Boomer nobody's gonna be looking at our God damn hair!"

* * *

Bunny was calling him by the time he'd parked. Bear answered his phone as he and his brothers filed out of his car.

"Yeah I just got here. We're going fifth? Where are you guys? A'ight, I'm headed there." He ended the call and stuffed his phone in his pocket as Boomer handed him his guitar.

Butch suddenly had a joint in his mouth, he floated up to sit on the boot of the car and lit it up.

"See you guys in there," Bear said as he strode towards the school entrance.

"You're not gonna hit this?" Boomer asked as Butch passed him the joint.

Bear waved him off without turning. "Later."

He could already hear the music pulsating from the atrium once he pushed past the main doors. The atrium itself was another story, there was an explosion of color and sound as he swung the doors open. The air was humid and reeked of alcohol—well, he wasn't entirely sure if a person lacking a super sense of smell could pick it up, but he did quite easily. The crowd had amassed in-front of the stage where a band was currently performing, it seemed a large percentage of the student body was present, the atrium was _packed_.

Bear muscled his way through the crowd, deciding that flying would draw too much attention. He eventually emerged near the ramshackle stage and arced around it. He could already see the other bands who, as well as rocking out to the band currently on stage, were preparing to get up on the stage themselves.

He caught sight of his own band at the edge of the room, laughing animatedly at Harry's dancing. Buttercup and Bubbles were with them, though, he watched the latter wave goodbye to Bunny as they left them, along with Pablo. He inevitably entered their line of sight as he approached, Buttercup threw him a custom glare which he only entertained for a second before averting his eyes. Pablo—and strangely Bubbles—though, were smiling brightly at him, and they called out to him right as he walked past them.

"Good luck Bear!" They yelled over the music in unison. He arched a surprised brow, but replied nonetheless.

"Thanks!" He projected, putting up a dinky smile as he watched them disappear beside the stage arm-in-arm, tailing Buttercup to the crowd. He turned back to to the band as they playfully howled at him in reverence. Harry in particular pumping a fist in the air as he reached them.

"Eyyy, look at you committing to the stereotype." Bunny laughed, her eyes on his hair.

"Fuck off." He jived back with a laugh of his own.

* * *

"Look who's here." Bubbles said over the raucous cheers as the first band wrapped up. Buttercup and Pablo followed her line of sight to see Butch and Boomer howling their support as well.

"Like a friggin' rash that guy." Buttercup said, scowling.

"Girl, you need to let yourself enjoy this." Pablo said, nudging her. Bubbles did the same and she snarled at the both of them, they only laughed in return, holding her firmly in their middle.

Naturally, Butch's mere presence had soured her mood significantly, but after the next three bands performed, Buttercup had loosened up considerably. The fact that the band currently on stage seemed to be strictly metal was a very big factor, and as they wrapped up she was uncharacteristically springing along with the crowd, suddenly looking the most animated out of her, Bubbles and Pablo.

"Those guys were fucking sick!" She cackled, exhilarated. Bubbles laughed, happy that she was having a good time.

"Now for the main event!" Pablo beamed giddily as the senior who was the acting host tonight strode on to the mic.

As he touted the band that'd just exited the crowd already began cheering in anticipation.

"ARE YOU _FUCKING READY_!" The host exclaimed and there was a collective roar of affirmation.

"GIVE IT UP, FOR RAVENHEEEEEAAD!"

Another roar followed up, this one even louder. Buttercup wolf howled as Bubbles and Pablo bounced exuberantly. There was a sudden explosion of blue light above them, and they looked up to see an eruption of fireworks-esque energy. A lot of the students who were near them turned to Boomer, who had forged a blue mini-canon in his hand.

"Woah, he can do that?!" Bubbles chortled as Butch _whooed_ and Boomer released another shot into the air. This time the students howled desirously as the ball of energy exploded above them.

"That fucker sure knows how to make a scene." Buttercup said, but even she couldn't keep the amused grin off of her face. Boomer's energy was annoyingly contagious.

Along with the rest of the crowd, she turned back to the stage as the members of Ravenhead sauntered up on it. Her grin fell as her eyes fell on Bear, his unfamiliar presence seemed to beget that effect on everyone present as the hall quieted down, numerous eyes watching intently as he clutched his guitar at the ready. From Buttercup's side, Pablo could barely contain himself, his feet already threatening to vault into the air.

Bubbles seemed equally as giddy, her eyes roamed over to Butch and Boomer who were smirking in anticipation, looking visibly confident that their brother was about to bring the house down. Her eyes flicked to Buttercup who was giving Bear a skeptical look, then to the stage itself. All of them looked set now.

Bear surveyed the crowd pokily before his eyes settled on Bunny's. She smiled at him and nodded. That was his cue.

The stage suddenly exploded into a wave of sound that spread throughout the atrium, stunning the crowd. Everyone's jaws dropped in unison, including Buttercup's. Bear's fingers flew across the strings at an alarmingly high speed, which was absolutely criminal considering the perfect notes he was hitting with unbelievable dexterity and fluidity. On top of that, his disposition had completely morphed and he was suddenly so agile, whipping his hair animatedly as he strung out the notes. He was absolutely _radiating_ an upbeat energy that slowly worked its way into the crowd.

Soon enough, they had completely recovered and were now cheering loudly. Bubbles had to consciously keep from straight up flying in excitement as she shrieked, Pablo mirroring her. Buttercup was still in shock, staring at Bear in disbelief as his commanding stage presence lifted off the crowd who ricocheted his energy in tidal waves.

"Holy _fuck_." She breathed out. That bastard was...

When Bear rhythmically picked at a note intermittently and the rest of the band came in at the last pick, Buttercup shook herself out of it and succumbed to the fucking _music_. Yelling with similar hilarity with the crowd as Bunny bellowed out the first song, Boomer's fireworks continuing to light up the atrium.

* * *

Fortunately, at the exact time Ravenhead had concluded their performance—everyone present at that atrium would have said that conclusion came far too soon—some night security personnel came to inform the students that their allocated time on school grounds had been exhausted. They had obediently began to disperse immediately, most of them eager to give their Friday night a fitting end elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the band remained on stage momentarily, allowing themselves revel in the post-performance high. Endlessly hailing each other jovially.

Bunny was too elated, she was helplessly driven by the familiar, intoxicating rush of rhapsody that was still flowing through her entire body. So, she didn't let herself think about it as she bounded up and threw her arms around an unprepared Bear.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! You were so good!" she touted, laughing as she gripped him.

Though extremely taken by surprise, he couldn't help but laugh along with her, allowing his arms wrap around her in a similar fashion. " _You_ were so good." He reciprocated her compliment.

His voice—having been so close to her ear—seemed to douse her euphoria slightly as she now consciously registered the practically non-existent proximity between them. She peeled herself off of him, chuckling awkwardly, almost apologetically.

Bear didn't have time to comment on it as he was suddenly assaulted by two distinct green and blue streaks.

"Mother _fucker_!" Butch cackled as he ribbed him. Boomer replicated this action on his other side while simultaneously ruffling his hair.

"Holy shit man! You killed it you God damn bastard!" The blonde yelled proudly.

Bear laughed along with his brothers as they roughed him up. Shoving at them in a vain attempt to get them to stop.

Bunny laughed at the sight, swiveling at the shriek she heard erupt from behind her. She herself didn't have anytime to react before Bubbles and Pablo managed to bear-hug her at the same time.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Bubbles articulated.

"Build this woman a statue!" Pablo exclaimed as Bunny chortled.

After some prolonged lauding, they both eventually released her and went to go praise the others, allowing Buttercup to finally come into her view. Said girl was broadly smirking at her, Bunny mirrored her expression.

"Bitch!" They said in unison, and Buttercup cackled as she let Bunny embrace her. "Man, how does that _never_ fucking get old?" she said as they separated.

"Girl, you know they don't make 'em like this anywhere." Bunny grinned, caressing her throat with her fingers.

Buttercup shook her head with a snort, her eyes shifted over to the boys, Butch and Boomer had just freed their brother and now Bear's eyes met hers. Both their grins fell instantly, but their gazes lingered. Bunny followed her sister's line of sight, watching as Bear made his way towards them.

"So?" He said impassively upon reaching them, never breaking eye contact with Buttercup.

A knowing smile found its way to Bunny's lips as she looked back to Buttercup, equally awaiting her response.

The girl folded her arms and hunched her shoulders up. "So you don't _completely_ suck, congratulations."

Bear took in her answer as he stared at her, scrutinizing her unwavering staid expression. Then, slowly, his lips upturned into a smirk.

She smirked back.

The band gathered their equipment as they all filed out the back exit. Boomer found it a little strange that Bubbles was all but clinging to him, but he was too stoned to question it. Said girl threw the quickest of quick glances over her shoulder before averting her gaze. Behind her, Kim only stared as she walked arm-in-arm with Pablo. Butch and Mitch chortled as they passed a joint between them, with Harry indulging as well. Bear, Bunny and Buttercup tailed the group as they approached Harry's van in the emptying school lot.

After a few more cordial exchanges, they all decided to disperse to their different destinations. The Boys bid their farewells to the Girls as they made for Pablo's car, Butch paused suddenly, flicking his eyes to Buttercup, watching as she trailed her chattering sisters. He looked over to his brothers who were also chattering obliviously. He rushed forward and grabbed Buttercup by the arm, spinning her around to face him.

"Yo, chill for a sec." he said.

Buttercup's face went indignant, her eyes glowing as she she wrenched her arm from his grip. "Do you have fucking brain damage?" she snarled.

"What the fuck is your problem with me?" he retorted, his face twisted in anger as well.

"Are you stupid? Like I need a fucking excuse to hate you."

"As much as it pains me to make you think I give a shit, we're actually gonna be seeing a lot of each other unfortunately. So you might as well tell me what the fuck this is about." Butch groused and for a second, Buttercup's expression visibly cooled.

Her fury had transformed into genuine surprise as she stared at him. "No... no way. You're actually being serious... you don't remember..."

Butch simmered down himself, furrowing his brows in confusion.

For a moment they just looked at each other, passing car revs and the distant chatter of their friends and siblings filling in the silence.

Buttercup released a similarly bitter laugh as she had earlier in the day. "Of-course you don't."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Butch's glare returned. Buttercup simply glared back.

Butch scoffed, making to walk around her. "Fine then, fucking swallow it if you want to. See if I give a—"

She shoved him back. "What the fuck—" Butch paused at her glare, deeper and holding even more fury than it had a second ago.

"No, you want to know right? Dig deep asshole." she growled.

He stared, muddled. Okay, maybe this chick was just crazy because what the hell was going on here?

"Last time we saw each other before you and your brothers disappeared for three years," she hinted. "At my fucking playground, remember your _payback_?" she looked like if she kept talking she might hit him, but she fisted her hands. It was too dark for Butch to notice they were shaking lightly.

He raked his brain, trying to spot a memory that matched the description she was giving, encouraged by her faintly glimmering eyes. Before he and brothers left Townsville? If she was talking about the first time, that meant he was like, fucking nine. Well, she sure knew how to hold a fucking grudge. A playground? His _payback_? What fucking payback? He did a lot of stupid shit when he was that age, if she was talking about some measly prank or something, then he—

His brain came to an abrupt halt, highlighting recognition. _Wait. A Prank. Eight years ago... a playground... when did I fight her in a playgro—_

Butch's eyes suddenly widened as the memory _hit_ him. He'd only ever encountered her once on a school playground, he remembered that. It wasn't a fight, it was—he was bored and... and...

Butch's lips subtly parted in a gape. It was spotty, and he couldn't remember the exact details, but one detail, _that_ detail was enough.

"Yeah," Buttercup's voice dragged him out of his musing. "Remember now?" She scowled.

Butch's throat suddenly felt clogged, like there was a lump that had swollen rapidly right at the nape of his pipe. How did he—how had he forgotten that? It had completely eluded him, so he obviously had never even thought of it after its occurrence. He stared down at a livid Buttercup, and for the first time in his entire life, he imagined that his expression clearly bespoke the immense guilt that had suddenly washed over him.

"Butch! What's up?!" Boomer projected. Butch looked up to see him and Bear by the latter's car. His voice had alerted Buttercup's sisters and now they were looking back from a little further down, Butch thought they looked equally shocked to see him talking to Buttercup, but it was dark, he couldn't really tell.

Buttercup folded her arms and began walking in their direction, shooting one last glare at Butch, it was a lingering one, one he was able to inadvertently absorb as the guilt in him suddenly felt piercing. Eventually, she peeled her eyes away from him in disgust.

_Fuck._

It took Boomer calling out his name again to snap him out of his funk. And with one last glance at Buttercup's retreating form, he silently floated over to his brothers.

_Fuck._

* * *

"How was it?" Blossom asked conversationally, cutting into her lasagna.

"It was _so awesome_ , you should have been there! Bunny was so good!" Bubbles chirped.

"We all were really," Bunny said, smiling appreciatively at Bubbles.

"Bear's like, ridiculous. Where did he learn how to play like that?" she added.

"I'm still not in support of your laxity with him." Blossom said to Bunny, who rolled her eyes.

"Come on Bloss, you can't still be on that."

"If you'd witnessed just how louche and villainous they were, you'd know my distrust is completely warranted. People like that don't change that easily."

Bunny was suddenly frowning. "We literally didn't see them for over five years, and we know they weren't living criminal lives in that time-frame."

"Technically, we don't know."

"So you think their mom is evil?" Bunny arched a jaded brow, placing her cheek in her palm.

Bubbles beat Blossom to the punch. "She doesn't seem evil at all, she's actually so sweet," she said.

Two pairs of eyes whirled on her. "How would you know?" Blossom inquired.

"I met her." Bubbles replied casually, chewing.

"What?! When?! How?!" Blossom and Bunny echoed, incredulous.

In that moment, Bubbles just then realized that she hadn't actually mentioned that she'd been to the Boys' house—twice, in-fact—to either of her sisters. She looked to Blossom, now also factoring in her current opinion on the Boys' integrity.

"Well..." she started, "I've, um... I've been to their house." She answered them, taking her time to swallow.

Most people wouldn't have believed her, but Bubbles could have sworn she'd actually _heard_ her sisters' simultaneous blink.

"You've what?!" Blossom exclaimed an indignant reproach.

"Boomer and I have a Choir assignment we have to rehearse which _totally_ wasn't my fault by the way, he forced me to be his partner. Well, he didn't, exactly, but he did! And we rehearse at this place because I don't think it'd be a good idea for dad to see him in our house..." she trailed off after releasing all that in practically one breath, studying Blossom's expression which was a cemented, admonishing glare.

"I guess dad wouldn't have been the only one not pleased with that sight. So... I stand corrected."

"You chose to go to their _house_?" Blossom clamored.

"We can't exactly practice a song in the, you know, library or something..."

"Do you have _any_ idea how much potential danger you're putting yourself in?!" Blossom said, denying Bubbles a chance to deflect.

"So, when you said you were going to study at a friend's after we fought that monster on Wednesday, you were talking about Boomer?" Bunny—who'd assumed a strange look at Bubbles' revelation—asked in a much tamer tone than her leader.

Bubbles let out an awkward laugh, "Yeah," she answered, her eyes flicking back to those burning pink orbs, she pouted.

"It's not like I wasn't suspicious at first too. But, seriously, even just between going there twice and hanging out with Boomer... _and_ my friends—" she added as Blossom's glare deepened. "—I think it's really unlikely that they're still, yunno, evil. I don't know I just... he's so different, from what he used to be—"

"What if it's a _trick_!"

"And their mom's so sweet!"

"Yeah?" Bunny asked in the same tone. Bubbles nodded at her, taking a moment to look into her eyes and smile.

"Yeah, she was really nice to me and—come on don't you think I would know an evil person when I see one?" Bubbles said, appealing to Blossom.

Her sister frowned, unconvinced. "I'm finding it very difficult to gauge your discernment skills right now."

Bunny seemed to come to. She picked a fork of her lasagna and sighed.

"Seriously Blossom... even dad vouched for Ms Venus' integrity. I doubt she's secretly a nefarious mastermind training four killing machines. Hell, even Butch seems to be just like any other boisterous, teenage jock. Putting the fact that he's a lascivious pig aside... actually no, that too."

Blossom gaped disbelievingly at her sisters, swiveling between them as they returned her look with pointed, innocent stares.

"You guys... _mph_!" She huffed angrily, gathering her purse as she stood from the kitchen table. "You girls are _unbelievable_!"

They watched as she stalked out of the kitchen, then they turned back to each other, Bubbles snickering as Bunny mouthed "Drama Queen".

"Bunny, get Buttercup to wake up. It's almost eleven. Bubbles, we're running late. Let's go." They heard Blossom say from the living room, the ire in her voice barely discernible now.

Bubbles gasped. "I actually almost forgot. I smudged my make-up!" She griped, patting her lip with a napkin as she zipped out the kitchen and up the stairs.

"It's _Ms Bellum_! What are you putting on _make-up_ for!" And the ire was back.

Bunny shook her head with a chuckle as she bit the pasta off her fork.

* * *

"The girls have arrived Madam," Patrick informed Ms Bellum.

"Excellent, let them in." She replied as her PA shuffled out of her office. He shuffled back in a few minutes later, Blossom and Bubbles in tow.

"Morning Ms Bellum." Blossom greeted affably as she and Bubbles filed in, the latter offering a greeting of her own.

"Morning girls, I'm honestly a little surprised you're on time." Ms Bellum smiled at them as Patrick exited the room.

"Well, you have _one_ of us to thank for that," Blossom said, sending an admonishing look Bubbles' way.

"Excuse me for wanting look presentable in-front of the Mayor." Bubbles retorted, ignoring her sisters' gaze as she took one of the seats in-front of Ms Bellum's desk. Blossom sighed and slotted herself in the other one as Ms Bellum chuckled fondly at their antics.

"So, Ms Bellum, you mentioned that you wanted to discuss an event you have planned?" Blossom got them started.

"Ah, yes," She confirmed, hitting a button on her pager. "Would you girls like anything to drink?"

Blossom shook her head.

"I wouldn't mind some coffee." Bubbles chirped.

"Bring me two coffees please. Extra sugar in one?" Ms Bellum asked, raising a brow at Bubbles who nodded vigorously. Blossom rolled her eyes. "Now girls, I don't want to cut in too deeply on your Saturday, so I'll try and make this as brief as possible. You girls know how one of my initiatives as Mayor is to refine Townsville's reputation—on the business end that is. While our precious city is certainly exclusively popular for one thing—" she paused, smiling at the girls.

Both of them returned her gesture as humbly as they could just as Patrick burst in bearing the coffees.

"—it has the potential to be far more commercially prominent. And by extension, generate far more revenue that can be circulated into the city."

"That would greatly aid the inner city residents," Blossom textured in assent.

"That's right, it would help our enterprise to amend the unemployment rate, among other issues." Ms Bellum finished, sipping her coffee.

"So is this event an instrument in the constitution of this initiative?" Blossom inquired.

"Precisely Blossom," Ms Bellum replied with a smirk, always impressed by Blossom's astuteness.

"So it's a charity event then?" Bubbles interjected, pulling her lips from her cup.

The two redheaded ladies turned to Bubbles in unison. Surprised that she'd actually spoken, and even more so that she apparently grasped the semantics of their discussion.

"Well. Yes," Ms Bellum confirmed, "I'd shared this idea with Mayor Collins, but he was primarily concerned with some of the city's other issues. The city's Monster Defense System for example."

"Certainly can't fault him there." Blossom smiled.

"Definitely, his success in certain areas has given me license to launch other initiatives, such as this one."

"So, how do Blossom and I fit into your plans Ms Bellum?" Bubbles asked, giving her now empty cup a protracted stare. "Can I have another one?"

"Bubbles! Exercise some self control." Blossom reprimanded.

"It's fine." Ms Bellum looked amused as she paged Patrick again. "To answer your question Bubbles, as you rightly guessed, the event is going to be a fundraiser. I have plenty of different events planned in theory, but firstly, I wanted to organize an an art event where Townsville's special heroines provide a bit of entertainment." Ms Bellum answered with a grin.

"Oh?" The two Puffs echoed.

"Being aware of you girls' artistic traits I thought this the perfect opportunity. With Mr Morbucks' assistance—"

"Mr Morbucks is back in town?" Blossom cut in. She tended to stay updated on city news, which naturally covered the activities of its most prominent millionaire. And last she'd read, he was in France.

"Yes, he returned a few days ago. He is providing significant aid with the organizing of this event. As a matter of fact, it's going to take place in the Morbucks' manor, with some very prestigious guests expected to be in attendance." She answered as Patrick brought Bubbles her second cup.

Blossom pursed her lips. Well, anyone who knew Jean Morbucks knew he _was_ big on Philanthropy.

"Blossom, I thought perhaps you could perform a live painting. I can imagine you'd want to utilize an opportunity like that to convey a message with your art." Ms Bellum said, and she didn't need to ask Blossom if she was right. The look on the girl's face gave her all the answer she needed.

Despite the charitable of nature of this planned event, Blossom imagined it was still going to be propagated. Journalists were incontestably persistent when they wanted to be. Like Ms Bellum said, she could really use the opportunity to paint something communicative, which was always her primary desire with her art.

"And Bubbles, dancing is just _such_ a crowd pleaser for events of this nature. I know you don't get to express yourself as often as you'd like with it, so I thought you could perform a dance? With a partner of-course, considering again, the nature of this event." by the time Ms Bellum was done, Bubbles was already beaming.

"Wow! Really? You would let me?"

Ms Bellum laughed. "Of-course, I wouldn't if I didn't trust your ability. The Inter-School Dance contest a few months ago only reinstated what I already knew."

Now Bubbles _really_ beamed, really, Blossom would have to resort to squinting to look at her if she didn't stop beaming.

"That's amazing! Oh my God! Yes! Of-course!" Bubbles accepted with ill-reserved glee.

"It sounds like a very good opportunity for expression, and it'd be raising money for the people. I fail to see any drawbacks" Blossom smiled.

Ms Bellum grinned triumphantly at both girls. "Excellent."

* * *

Butch had been acting strange for the past three days or so, Bear thought as they walked to their next class together, post-lunch.

His regularly jaunty and raucous disposition had melted into something more... torpid. He barely left his room over the weekend, and he'd been acting weird at school. Even Bunny had mentioned it to Bear during lunch yesterday. "Is he good?" she'd asked when Butch made no advances on her and proceeded to eat his lunch in silence as the rest of them chattered, his eyes not looking at much besides the table.

Almost stranger than that even, was the lack of friction between him and Buttercup. Butch seemingly enjoyed peeving her, he'd proven so ever since they started school here, but recently it was almost like he was avoiding her. He'd sat in-front of Bear in Government, as opposed to right behind Buttercup last week. Even taking a seat beside Kim in lunch seemed an effort to sit furthest away from Buttercup.

Bear knew something was up. He studied his brother's face, blank and distant as they turned a hallway. He nudged him.

"Dude, what's up?" He asked.

Butch snapped to. Turning and blinking at Bear whose expression held a bit of worry in it.

"What's with that face? I'm good man." Butch laughed. Weakly, Bear thought, it sounded forced.

"You've been acting 'hella weird recently. You good?" Bear pressed, ignoring Butch's attempt at deflecting.

Butch snorted dismissively. "Maybe school brings out the worst in me. What a fucking surprise."

Bear only stared at Butch as he refused to meet his eyes. He was completely bullshitting. Bear knew that much, but he also knew how reticent Butch could be about things that bothered him. They reached the class, Butch quickly opened the door and Bear followed him in, peering into his back.

He decided to drop it, for now.

* * *

"Ever heard of this thing called blinking?" Brick said, turning a jaded gaze to Blossom's glare. "It's a basic bodily function you seem to be lacking. You might want to get that checked."

"I know Ms Wilson to be a virtuous woman, else I would safely bet that you bought your way into this class." She said, glare never faltering.

"That's hilarious that you think had I the money to perpetrate that, I'd have willingly placed myself anywhere within ten miles of _this_ school. Knowing the detriments." He retorted, matching her glare.

"You may have everyone else fooled, but I'm not so credulous. The second I find an inconsistency in your 'sudden' arrival here, expect I'll be onto it." Blossom warned. Brick rolled his eyes.

"Give it a rest Sherlock. I have more important things to focus on than juvenile delinquency in this dump of a city."

"What important things?" Blossom quickly inquired, arching a suspicious brow.

"Eh, stick that one on the mystery board why don't you? He said he's focused on _important things_ , that _must_ be a clue. Better stock up on your red wool, you must be getting close." Brick retorted, his tone laden with sarcasm.

Blossom bristled. "You're a supercilious jerk."

"You're a captious little bi—"

"Don't you _dare_ curse at me."

And then they just glared. Eyes sharp enough to prick diamond.

Brick turned away first, giving an indignant scoff as he swept his brush along his canvas. After an irritated huff, Blossom returned her focus to her canvas as well.

Thankfully, they spared each other of any further communication for the remainder of the class, and the bell couldn't have come sooner for Brick. He had gathered his things and was out of the doors in a flash. Blossom took her time, allowing her irritation nestle with her.

 _Stupid._ Was what Brick was. He was a stupid jerk, with a stupid attitude, who wore a stupid cap, over his _stupid head_! She couldn't believe she would have to share a class with him for another two _years_. Of all classes too, Ms Wilson was—while posing a friendly exterior—incredibly difficult to please. Blossom couldn't imagine the amount of people that had tried to transition into Art IV, yet Ms Wilson had granted only two additions to the class this semester, and one of them was _Brick_. It just didn't make any sense, she told herself as her mind flashed back to that vile, doltish five year old boy from all those years ago, who only expressed himself in the form of mayhem.

A thought suddenly manifested in her head and refused to be swept aside.

She was the last one left in the class, and she looked up, then immediately made her way over to her teacher's desk, said teacher was looking ready to leave the class as well.

"Blossom? What's the matter?"

"Nothing Ms Wilson," Blossom shook her head dismissively, "I just, um, I was wondering if I could have your permission to take a look at the portfolios of the new students?"

Ms Wilson furrowed her brows. "What would you want to do that for?"

"I'm trying to stay ahead of the joint mid-term project. I would like to be paired with someone with similar, um, ability, at the very least" she said, configuring what she hoped was an efficient reason.

Ms Wilson pursed her lips and—fortunately for Blossom—nodded in understanding, "I see. I imagine you've got your hands full with your Advanced Placement courses. You don't need anyone you'll have to carry through the project," she said, standing.

"Alright, this is entirely prohibited under regular circumstances, but I suppose I can bend a few rules for my best student," Ms Wilson smiled at Blossom who chuckled bashfully as she pulled a file from her drawer and handed it to Blossom. "Have them back here tomorrow, okay?"

"I will. Thank you Ms Wilson." Blossom smiled.

* * *

Blossom went straight to the City Library after school, she thought she'd study some in preparation for the tests she was inevitably going to be facing in a few weeks.

She greeted Sandra—the librarian for as long as she could remember—as she signed in. She took a seat at the back, deep into the maze of the lofty book shelves, nobody ever came to this section of the library, she'd practically colonized this seat since she was around fourteen. This was the only other place besides her room that gave her a feeling of tranquility, though ultimately, it definitely couldn't be compared, for obvious reasons.

With the serene atmosphere, she was able to get absorbed into her books. After bulldozing through the first three chapters of her textbook, she decided to check the time. She reached over the textbook and clicked the power button on her phone, the screen illumined and she read the time.

Five-forty.

She'd already been here for over two hours? She placed a hand over her mouth as she released a semi-automatic yawn, she sniffled and gave the opened pages of Physics calculations a protracted gaze, before flipping the textbook closed. She gathered her books at the edge of the table, her eyes settling on the file that laid at the bottom of the pile. Well, she had to return them tomorrow anyway, so she might as well use up the twenty or so minutes she had left in the library.

She drew the bulky file near and opened it, she read the name on the first file and switched it with the one under, coming face to face with the 'Student Portfolio' title box. Under it, inscribed in white, was the name; Brick Venus.

She flipped it open, skimming through most of its content, only allotting a little over two seconds to the work samples for the subjects that didn't concern her. She allowed a few more seconds to some of the photos though, a few of them were very well taken—she noted. She lingered on one in particular, it was a group photo, there were two girls in it, bedecked in lab coats—a science class, Chemistry from the looks of it—and protective goggles, smiling beatifically at the camera. Behind them, a stoic Brick—equally in a lab coat, his goggles pulled down to his neck—frowned. He looked... different without his cap, she thought.

She flipped past a few more samples and his self-reflection composition before landing on Art. She'd had on a doubtful expression as she perused the portfolio, almost analytical, but upon viewing the photos in this section, her face began to soften.

There were mostly pictures of drawings. His drawings. It was mostly landscape and life drawings, with a few variations. They were—they were amazing. The detail on some of them was ridiculous, the blending technique applied, the foreshortening for the landscapes, it was...

She paused on a drawing, squinting at it. It was a life drawing of a figure, a girl, specifically. Simply put, it was beautiful, which Blossom—begrudgingly—expected at this point, but that wasn't what arrested her attention. She thought the girl looked kind of familiar. Wasn't she just—

It clicked, and she flipped back to the science section, back to the photo, keeping a finger on the page she was currently on. She looked at the raven haired girl on the left, captured her smiling face in her mind and flipped back to the drawing. Her eyes widened marginally.

She flipped back and forth two more times before settling on the drawing. It _was_ her. Blossom stared for a bit, simply blinking at the image, expertly drawn. From her affable beam to the wave of her hair as it fell down her shoulders. She lingered on it, then flipped the page.

But she really didn't need to see much more, the rest of the pages were a few of his written goals for the course, some certificates for some school awards he'd won and some other photos. One where he was molding a clay sculpture in a pottery class, another where he stood beside a painting, looking right at it, his hair curtaining his face. She didn't even know which was better, the drawings or the pictures.

She opened one last page to a single quote—written in what was probably his own handwriting—that said; Art is the bedrock of creation. You become a god the moment you hold a pencil. Anything less, then you are not an artist.

Blossom stared, and stared, and stared. Unable to...

She slowly closed the portfolio, the sound of the pages slapping together practically reverberated in the silence. Or maybe just in her head. She stared at the file in her hand, not knowing what to make of it, not even knowing where to start.

A soft shuffling caught her attention and she looked up to see Sandra approaching with a mellow smile. "Come on Blossom, I'm closing up."

"Right, sorry." She apologized, Sandra cordially waved it off and just told her to gather her things. Blossom smiled as she left to inspect the shelves, she turned back to the file, eyes riveting on the name, the name that should have belonged to somebody else, considering the content of that file.

* * *

Brick sat up on his bed, inspecting his DSLR as he flipped through some older pictures he'd taken. The quality of the lot of them had deteriorated post-editing, but that was natural. He'd have to switch the setting so his images could save in the raw CR2 file, he didn't want anything to go wrong at Mr Morbuck's event, even though it was over a month away.

 _Jean Morbucks._ He kept trying to recall where he'd heard that name from, he was sure Wednesday hadn't been the first, but he supposed that was inconsequential. His mind was flurried by the opportunity the man had offered him. Apparently, Mr Morbucks had a charity event planned, and he wanted Brick to work as a Photographer on the day it would take place.

He'd been instantly suspicious. Why would the wealthiest man in Townsville, and apparently one of the most influential business men in North America—Brick had done his research—want a seventeen year old to cover an event that was supposedly going to be brimming with illustrious individuals? Given, he was head and shoulders above the average seventeen year old in several aspects, and that most likely extended to his photographic prowess, but still.

Then, just when Brick had considered refusing the offer, Mr Morbucks offered an incentive. He didn't much care for money, his family was pretty good off, but Mr Morbucks had offered something, much, _much_ better.

"I imagine someone of your interests should be familiar with Oliver Karlsson?" Mr Morbucks had said, his voice smug, knowing he'd sealed the agreement before Brick even responded.

Infinity Weekly was one of the most popular magazines in the Media World. And Oliver Karlsson, one of the most prominent Photographers on the planet, was its Editor-In-Chief. Brick had almost thought Mr Morbucks was bluffing, but he knew better than that, a man of his stature could get someone like Oliver Karlsson to attend an event of his easily.

If Brick could get that man's seal of approval, or better yet, a job offer he could manage alongside schooling, that would open doors to a plethora of opportunities _and_ potentially provide him vast connectivity even before he graduated.

It was too good an opportunity to pass up, he'd have been stupid not to take it, so he did. Though, it still tickled his curiosity on why Mr Morbucks permitted, and personally requested his presence at the event.

"I can't express my thanks enough sir. But, if you don't mind me asking. I'm curious as to why you're requesting for me specifically, not that I don't appreciate the confidence of-course, but, regardless..." he'd said.

"I'm very informed Brick. I know talent when I see it." Mr Morbucks had answered cryptically, and with that he bid Brick a farewell.

Well, he certainly wasn't getting any clarification from him, he didn't much expect to anyway.

He refocused on his camera, continuing to skim through the photos. He grabbed a chord from his nightstand drawer and plugged it in the camera. He floated over to his desk and connected the other end to his laptop.

He might as well reset and get some editing done now.

* * *

The end of the week saw Bubbles and Boomer have their last practice session. They'd eventually settled on Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" and spent all their practice time contemplating different ways to perform it, once that was decided and rehearsed to their satisfaction, it was a matter of seeing how they sounded with instrumentals.

They sounded as good as they could with background instrumentals from Boomer's speaker, but Bubbles insisted that they needed an actual acoustic to gauge their cadence. It turned out the Heavens had opened up and were answering wishes with benevolence, seeing as the door to the garage pushed open the instant Bubbles had uttered her suggestion.

The blondes at the kitchen table turned to the door frame, staring until Bear shuffled through it. Boomer brightened significantly.

"Bear!"

"Boomer!" Bear intoned with a dull expression as he opened the fridge.

"Can you help Bubbles and I rehearse?" Boomer asked with a beam.

"What? How?" Bubbles furrowed her brows.

"The piano," Boomer answered with a _Duh_ face.

"You're kidding," Bubbles turned to Bear, who was idly gulping water. "You can play the piano too?"

"Who, this guy? You're talkin' about Jonny Greenwood here." Boomer laughed, thumbing in Bear's direction.

Bear binned the bottle, barely batting an eye at Boomer's comment. "You guys want to know how you'll sound supported with piano?" He asked, tossing his head at Bubbles.

Bubbles recovered. "Yeah, raw acoustics make for better judgement. Plus, that's how it's going to be in class anyway."

Bear hummed.

"So you'll help?" Boomer's gaze was hopeful.

Bear still had his guitar slung over his back, as he'd come straight from practice. His eyes flicked between the two pouting blondes, noting how dangerous of a combo they were when they unified their pitiable visages. He let out a heavy exhale.

"Five minutes." He said, already walking back into the living room. Boomer and Bubbles turned to each other, then shot up after him.

"What are you guys performing?" Bear asked as he sat in-front of the Grand Piano. His guitar slung over Boomer's back.

"Oh yeah, um, Beautiful. Cristina Aguilera" Bubbles answered, she was so curious to hear him play that she'd momentarily forgotten he was only doing so for them.

"I've got the tune in my head." Bear nodded, closing his eyes as the melody came rushing in, permeating his mind.

"You know, there's something about this that feels so right..." Boomer said, looking at his reflection in the mirror near the bar. He'd slided the guitar over to his front and was pretending to play it. Bubbles shushed him.

Bear's eyes stayed shut for a little longer. Bubbles and Boomer waited patiently.

Then, he took an audibly deep inhale, and slowly tapped in the keys.

* * *

"Where'd he learn how to play instruments?" Bubbles asked from her cross legged position on the sofa, taking a bite of the apple Boomer had given her. They'd just finished rehearsing, and after running through the song once, her and Boomer had managed to squeeze three more minutes out of Bear so they could run through it once more, making sure to record themselves this time. Upon listening to it, Bubbles was equal parts glad and relieved. She definitely thought they sounded good, and Boomer agreed. They were set for Monday now.

She'd wanted to all but interrogate Bear about his instrumental prowess, and just how far it extended. He perfectly raised the cadence of the song after thinking about it for what, forty seconds? Bubbles was a person that was appreciative of all things beautiful, like nature, and rainbows, and puppies, and ice-cream. And music was definitely in the ranks of one of the most beautiful things about life. She was curious to know how Bear made it so easily. But, once he was done with them he literally just took his guitar and zipped upstairs, bidding them good luck on their performance.

"Have I told you I _always_ feel like you're judging me?" Boomer said from beside her, his eyes on the fruit in her hand before they shifted to the ham sandwich in his.

"Answer the question," Bubbles shook her head with a laugh.

Boomer snickered as he slumped in the cushion. "What, Bear? He's just always been good at that. Even when we—you know, when we met him. He always said music was pacifying for him."

"So he's been playing since then?" Bubbles said, the swift blemish in his demeanor as he mentioned meeting Bear not going unnoticed by her.

"Before then even," Boomer answered, taking a bite, "Fucker could already play the drums, keyboard _and_ the flute when we were freakin' twelve."

"Damn," Bubbles breathed out. "Mhm." Boomer hummed through a full mouth.

She watched him chew, her mind now stuck on the question that was fluttering in her head. But wasn't that a bit personal? Could they ask personal questions now? Wasn't such intimate talk only had by friends? But they _were_ friends essentially. Weren't they? She'd invited him to her birthday after all—

"What?" Boomer's question snapped her out of her musing. He was looking right at her with a questioning brow raised, probably because she'd been looking right at him. He waited, and Bubbles decided to give in.

"What—what was it like? You know, getting adopted and everything?" She asked.

To her surprise, Boomer actually smiled. His eyes roamed away from her as he seemed to go into thought.

"I mean, honestly? It was great."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I never really liked the whole... villain thing. I don't know, it just... I just never liked it. After you guys beat us and we were, you know, jailed and whatever. I thought that was it for us—" he paused to let out a bitter laugh.

"—man, I hated that shit." he finished, and Bubbles sobered. She didn't even know what to think right now. She would have never imagined that all those times that he'd attacked her and her sisters, or meandered around destroying public property, that he actually didn't want to do so.

Actually, if she thought about it, it did make sense to an extent. There were times where Boomer had done some things that really confused her back then, things a villain wouldn't do. Plus, he _had_ been with Him, she couldn't even begin to think about what it must have been like working for the Devil Himself...

"Anyway," he continued before she had a chance to really feel bad for him. "I remember after a couple days in a cell the cops took us to some kind of child care facility. Brick said something about us being too young to get thrown in _jail_ jail," he looked at his sandwich, suddenly losing his appetite. He dropped it in Bubbles' bowl of apples. She didn't take her eyes off him as he continued. "So we were there for like a week, being supervised and all that. Then one day my mom and Bear just showed up, said they—well mom obviously—wanted to adopt us."

"You must have been really surprised," Bubbles ventured.

Boomer's laugh was more genuine this time. "Surprised doesn't even remotely cut it. I mean, we didn't even believe her at first. Like, why would anybody want to adopt the _Rowdyruff Boys_ , you know? But then... she told us she was technically already living with one."

"And that's how you guys found out about Bear?"

He nodded a confirmation. "It was such a trip, when he proved he had powers like us. Like, we didn't even know he existed."

"So, um, your mom told you that, you know—" Bubbles stuttered, trying to pick her words carefully.

"That she was the one who created him?" He finished for her. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah," Boomer answered simply, assuming a thoughtful expression, "Didn't your dad tell you guys about Bunny?"

"He did, he did. I was just asking," Bubbles said, dropping the bowl on the glass stool beside her.

"Oh, okay. So... that's it really."

"It must have been so different, growing up with your mom I mean. As opposed to being a... criminal and whatever."

This time the smile that spread across his lips resembled the ones she'd become accustomed to. "It was fucking amazing, for me definitely. I think leaving here helped too, over in Canada nobody really knew who we were. Mom always told us we could be whoever we wanted there, no judgements. She always supported us, made me comfortable being who I want to be. And Bear, well Bear's just awesome," he paused for a genuine laugh. "Eventually we became, you know, a family."

"That's amazing Boomer." Bubbles smiled, meaning it. She could see it on his face, she could tell how genuinely happy he was to have the life he had now. "So that's how you got into drama, and singing?"

"Yeah," he laughed, shifting up on the sofa and throwing his arm over it.

"You're really good, like seriously. I don't know much about Theater, but I think your audition's the best I've seen in school definitely." Bubbles touted.

"Meh. Helps that I was acting for most of my life anyway," he shrugged.

Bubbles' smile faltered, Boomer simply laughed again. "Too soon?"

Bubbles shook her head in admonishment, but her grin had returned. "You play too much."

"Can't argue with that." He replied with a grin. He watched as Bubbles snickered, pursing his lips in thought. "Technically, you owe me a personal story now."

"Do I?" Bubbles smirked.

"Yup. We'll sign the life binding Friendship Contract after you're done to make it official." He replied with a straight face.

Bubbles obliged him with a small laugh, but her lips slowly melted into a frown as she stared at him. She reached for the bowl again and picked her unfinished apple from it, holding it out to Boomer to take his equally unfinished sandwich.

"Next time. I promise."

* * *

"Aren't you coming?" Bunny asked her laying sister as she stepped out of their walk-in closet with her skateboard in hand.

Buttercup looked up from her magazine. "Is it Two already?"

"Past," Bunny answered, swiping her phone from her bed. They were supposed to be linking up with Mitch and Harry at the skate park right about now. "Harry just texted even. He's already there."

On cue, Buttercup's phone chimed beside her head. "And that's probably Mitch," Bunny said, pocketing her phone. She made her way over to Buttercup's bed and loosely pulled at her legs. "Let's gooo."

"Cut it out," Buttercup clamored, lightly kicking in return.

"Seriously, come on," Bunny laughed, clutching her board at her side.

"I think this bed has absorbed my skin," Buttercup groaned, then she suddenly snapped to. "Are we meeting just Mitch and Harry?"

"I mean, I guess so," Bunny shrugged. "Pablo's got a family thing and I think Kim's sick."

"What about Bear and the rottweiler?" Buttercup asked flatly.

Bunny snorted and shook her head. "Bear said he was busy, guess Butch is too. You coming or not?"

"I'll catch up," Buttercup answered with a dismissive wave.

"'Kay. Hurry up, owning them on the ramp's gonna get boring if it's just me." Bunny said before zipping down the stairs.

Buttercup heard the front door close and dropped her magazine on the nightstand that separated her and Bunny's beds. She proceeded to stare at the ceiling yonderly, allowing herself melt into the weird, almost ghostly silence of the house. She knew her dad was taking a nap in his room, Blossom was in her room probably getting some homework done—Buttercup cringed at the mere _thought_ of it—and Bubbles mentioned something about 'site shopping' with Robin for their birthday.

She shifted slightly, eyes riveted to the ceiling light. She hated how her mind just needed two or three idle seconds to self-brim itself with thoughts of Butch, this time with renewed abhorrence.

He _forgot_. He'd actually fucking forgotten that he'd done it. If he was a bastard for doing it in the first place, what did completely forgetting it make him? From the way he spoke, it seemed like he had probably just filed it away as one of his many 'pranks', nothing worth noting.

She was squeezing her sheets in her hands now, her catatonic gaze had gone furious, searing into nothingness. She heard a light sizzle and she hurriedly sat up, blinking furiously as the faint glow of her eyes subsided. Her hands shook with rage as she took a _deep_ breath. Then took another one.

She released her sheets and opened her eyes, taking time to halfheartedly scan the room. Staying here wouldn't do her any good, she shuffled to the closet and retrieved her own skateboard.

She pocketed her phone as she closed the front door, quickly squatting to tie her sneaker laces before hopping on the board and rolling down the sidewalk. A few people greeted her as she moved past them, she managed to put up a dinky smile as she returned their greetings. After a few more minutes of skating, she decided to walk instead, her board in one hand and her phone in the other. She could have flown but...

She exited the app she was on and opened her contacts. She scrolled down the list and instantly tapped on the one saved; Wes. He picked up after the second ring.

["Two calls in one week? Is a bitch missing me that badly?"]

["You wish, Fuckface,"] Buttercup retorted, allowing herself a smirk. ["How are ya?"]

Wes laughed on the other end, ["I'm good, 'bout to help my uncle out with the grill. How're _you_ doing?"]

["I'm doing,"] she physically shrugged. ["On my way to the Skate Park, gonna shred some with the gang."]

["You mean show up the gang some,"]

["Same difference."] She said cockily. Wes snorted.

["What? Okay, yeah—"] he said, speaking to someone off the phone, ["—sorry my uncle's getting on my ass. Did you wanna talk about something?"]

["Nah, I just... I talked to Butch about it,"] she decided to be blunt.

["Oh..."] Wes paused, it sounded like he was ambling into another room. ["How'd—how'd it go?"]

["He forgot he did it."] She scowled.

She could almost feel Wes' eyes widen, ["What? No. No fucking way. Are you serious? He _forgot_?"]

["Yeah, completely. Even wondered why I've been treating him like trash since he got here,"]

["'Cause he is!"] Wes' voice was suddenly laced with fury. ["What a piece of shit! I don't fucking believe this!"]

Buttercup was wondering why she'd actually called him up until this point, but now she knew. To hear him nearly scream in anger, to remind herself that there was someone who understood how she was feeling about this situation, the only person besides her who could. It filled her with an odd, twisted sense of refreshment.

["God. I don't—I don't even know what to say. How does a person forget something like that?"]

["It was probably just a joke to him. 'Payback' he said,"] Buttercup bristled, trying her best not to squash her phone in her hand.

[" _Asshole_! Jesus fucking Christ!"] Buttercup listened to Wes as he cursed out, almost as though doing it in her place. She simmered down, feeling her anger slowly dissipate.

["Man... what are... what are you gonna do?"]

Buttercup inhaled heavily, looking skywards. ["Well, I think I jogged his memory, but I don't know what that's going to do, if anything,"] her eyes hardened. ["Neither do I give a fuck if it does. But he lives in my city now, goes to my school, so... I guess that's that."]

["I'm so sorry you gotta deal with that BC."] Wes said somberly, and she knew he meant it.

["It's cool, I just wanted to tell you, you know,"] she said, hearing a distant yell from somewhere in the background. Wes groaned.

["Sorry, gotta go help my uncle,"]

["It's all good, tell him 'Hey' for me."]

["You got it. Hey... take care of yourself, okay?"]

"Always." And with that, she ended the call.

She inhaled again, her chest feeling much lighter. Her phone suddenly buzzed and she brought it up to her face—Bunny had sent a picture. She opened it and chortled at the sight; Bunny was the one who'd taken it, a selfie from the top of a lofty ramp with her mid-laugh, while Mitch was wrecked face down in the background—the bottom of the ramp—with his skateboard off to the side.

[ _Bitch hurry up! You're missing all the fun XD_ ] read the text under it. Buttercup grinned as she pocketed her phone and took to the skies, zooming towards the Skate Park.

* * *

"Get down here shitbags!" Brick yelled as he switched off the fire under the saucepan. He was just about done folding the macaroni into cheese sauce when his brothers strode into the kitchen, sans Butch.

"Did you top it with some bread crumbs?" Boomer pouted hopefully.

"You get too dainty about my cooking and you're gonna be eating cereal for the next week. Now go sit down." Brick narrowed his eyes at him, but Boomer grinned upon seeing crumbs spread across the pan anyway then obediently took a seat at the dining table.

"Is mom awake?" Bear asked from beside Boomer and Brick shook his head "No" as he retrieved plates from a cabinet.

They heard Butch shuffling down the stairs as Brick rationed the food into the plates, but he never emerged into the kitchen.

"Dude," Brick called out to him just before he went past the door frame. Butch faced him, blinking. "Dinner." Brick finished.

"Not hungry," Butch immediately replied, his brothers watching as he strode past, "I'm going out for a bit. I'll grab something later."

The rest of the boys faced each other as the door slammed. "Is it me, or has he been acting like that all week?" Boomer ventured.

"He hasn't eaten anything besides a fucking s'more since breakfast." Brick added, squinting at the empty door frame in suspicion.

Bear only stared, brows furrowed in worry.

* * *

Bear retreated to his room once he was done with dinner. Now he plucked softly at his acoustic, sitting cross legged on his bed, a cigarette between his lips.

His phone suddenly buzzed and he ceased playing, willing it to float up to his face. He'd gotten a text from Bunny. He willed his guitar back onto its hook on the wall and picked the phone out of the air. He was just about to open the text when his door creaked open.

He looked up to find Butch, his head poked in. "Dude, are you—you busy?"

"Naw," Bear immediately shook his head, dropping his phone to the side. Butch slipped in fully, closing the door behind him. "What's up?" Bear asked as Butch plopped down on the small cushion chair beside his bed, stretching his legs out.

Butch didn't respond at first, neither did he even look at Bear. He drew out a joint from his pocket and lit it, taking a long hit. Bear simply waited, slowly raising his cig to take a drag of it himself.

Butch exhaled the smoke, then just exhaled, his lips pulled into a tight line as his eyes settled up on Bear's open window. "I... I did something man."

Bear calmly blew out smoke, never taking his eyes off his brother. "What do you mean?" He asked heedfully.

"I mean I did something... fucked up. Like, royally fucked up." Butch answered. Bear blinked at the ambiguity of his statement, he knew he would have to ask the right questions to get Butch to talk—despite him being the one who came to his room.

"That's why you've been out of it this past week?" Bear inquired, taking Butch's silence as he took another hit as confirmation. "Whatever you did, why is it bothering you so much?... when did you do it?"

"Like, eight years ago," Butch immediately replied and Bear was momentarily stumped. _Eight_ years _ago_? He thought incredulously. He knit his brows in confusion, but the expression on Butch's face hadn't twitched, he was being completely serious.

Butch was easily one of the most callous people Bear knew, it surprised him at all that he'd been acting strange because of an act he'd done, talk less an act he'd done before he was even _ten_ years old?

"For real?" He asked to be certain, Butch only nodded, still looking away from him. "Dude, why would—why is it still bothering you?"

Butch laughed, an acrid, sardonic little laugh, "Shocking ain't it?" He said, pausing as he let the silence sit for a while. He could see Bear silently staring at him in his side-eye.

"You know what's even more fucked up than the fact that I did it? The fact that I fucking forgot it ever happened." He frowned, shifting his eyes from the window to the cased records that hung from the ceiling aesthetically. Another brief period of silence followed before Bear placidly said...

"Who was it?" And for the first time since he opened the door, Butch looked right at him. "The person you did this thing to. Who was it?"

Bear wasn't sure why he'd suddenly assumed that there was, in-fact, a victim in Butch's story. Just from the tone of his voice, especially with his last statement, it sounded like he was... there was just something about the way he was talking, and Bear tended to trust his intuition.

Butch stared at him, visibly contemplating, and for the briefest moment Bear noticed his jaw tightening.

"Buttercup." Butch blurted.

Bear's eyes widened, and the cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth as he marginally gaped. He plucked it from his lips and dumped it in the ashtray in-front of him. His eyes on Butch's all the while.

"Buttercup?" He asked. Butch only blinked in response. "Yo..." Bear breathed out. He didn't even know what this "thing" was, but between Butch's recently anomalous attitude and Buttercup's—well, simply her very person, he couldn't imagine just how horrible it was.

Something suddenly clicked. "Is that what you guys were talking about the night of the Battle of the Bands?"

Butch managed a nod this time.

This was eating him up, Bear had never seen him like this, ever. Now he wanted to help, he needed to know the details here. He was about to request for just that before Butch spoke up.

"I can't give you any details," he said firmly, almost like he'd read Bear's mind.

Bear suddenly looked confused. "Why?"

Butch gnashed his teeth, conflicted. He looked at Bear's beseeching expression, _wanting_ to tell him, really wanting to talk to _someone_ about this. But...

"I just can't. I don't—it's really fucked up. Really, _really_ fucked up." He answered, looking down at the floor, his head brimmed with the memory. He really did it as a joke, for a fucking laugh. Sometimes he forgot he'd really been that messed up.

He heard Bear sigh heavily, probably frustrated. Butch couldn't blame him, after all, he was the one who came here by his own volition. But he'd been so painstakingly vague, barely giving Bear any insight to why this was fucking gnawing him, if at all. But he just needed to get it out, to say _something_ out loud, he didn't know what to do with this feeling, he wasn't used to feeling guilty, actually _knowing_ he'd fucked up without quite understanding the magnitude of his action.

He sighed, this was stupid. He'd really just bothered Bear for nothing. He was about to excuse himself right when—

"You should talk to mom."

He looked up to see Bear looking right at him, eyes hard. "What?" He said.

"Talk to mom," Bear repeated, his tone grave.

Butch arched a muddled brow.

"I'm going on a whim here, but I'm assuming she would understand your... situation better. More than berating yourself for being a piece of shit, it sounds like you're berating yourself for being a piece of shit to Buttercup. And you clearly need to talk to _someone_ about it."

Butch blinked. Surprised at the accuracy of his brother's conclusion. Butch didn't know how he was always able to do that, how he was always able to read into things.

"Why mom?" He inquired.

Bear assumed a thoughtful expression, his eyes flicking away from Butch momentarily. "We—you know, guys—generally tend to misunderstand why a lot of the things we do hurt women. As a guy needing insight to that, you've hit the jackpot with an independent single mother,"

Butch's rapt attention was on Bear, the nearly burnt out joint snuffing in his hand.

"Whatever you did to Buttercup, she'll help you out with it. She'll probably help you understand what you did, and what you have to do to fix it."

Another bout of silence consumed them as they stared at each other. Eventually, Butch reached and dumped his filter in the ashtray, sinking into the chair as he recoiled.

"Yeah," he said, running his hand through his hair and exhaling, "Yeah."

He lingered for a while, then sprung to his feet, stalking over to the door hastily. He paused in the doorway, turning enough to face Bear who was still looking at him.

"Um... thanks, bro."

Bear nodded, and watched Butch shut the door.

* * *

"What did you say it was called again?" Blossom asked.

"Berserkverse!" Bubbles beamed as Buttercup relieved her of her empty plate, walking to the sink.

"I've never heard of it," John said, patting his lips with a napkin.

"It's a new arcade in town, they've only been open for like, a month," Bubbles relayed voraciously. She'd been actively scouring for potential spots for the girls to celebrate for about a week, and with Robin's help, she'd finally found one yesterday. "Robin and I made inquiries and everything, it's scanty enough on Thursdays and they've got _so_ many games. It's perfect!"

"Sounds like it was named by a drunk five year old," Buttercup said flatly, placing a plate in the dish rack.

"I could do with some bowling, been a while." Bunny said, smiling in approval.

"I was hoping to get some studying in ahead of a test on Monday—"

"I don't want to hear it." Bubbles reprimanded, pointing at Blossom with a stern frown. The pout Blossom returned her made the exchange look comically inverted. "So, what do you think dad?" Bubbles beamed at him.

"As long as you girls are back home before curfew it's fine with me." John said, grinning at her enthusiasm.

"Settled then! Time to send out invites." Bubbles exclaimed, whipping out her phone as she began to text in mass. She stood without taking her eyes off the screen, Blossom groaning in defeat.

"You're inviting Boomer yeah?" Bunny asked.

Bubbles paused near the door about the same time John paused, the glass of water in his hand mere inches from his lips. Blossom shifted her eyes from her frozen family members to blink at Bunny. Buttercup paused her work on the dishes and turned back to see what the silence was about. Bunny looked to Bubbles and pulled her lips in guiltily.

"Oops." She winced.

John lowered the glass and looked up at Bubbles who bared her teeth in an awkward simper, cinching it with a coughed out laugh.

"Dad—" she started but her dad cut her off.

"It's fine sweetie," John said, the smile on his face looking very much forced. "Like I said, they're not criminals. I mean, it's not as though you can't be friends with him. Even if he's a... Rowdyruff" he finished, eye twitching lightly. He'd taken Bear joining Bunny's band well enough, he could handle this, this was nothing, he thought as he rapidly gulped water.

The girls now all winced in unison, Bubbles especially. A thought abruptly erupted in her head, she looked at her disquieted father as he poured himself more water after hurriedly emptying the first glass. Honestly, she was possibly kind of cruel for doing this but, she might as well get it over with now.

She coughed again. "Dad," he looked up, "I just remembered that, um... Ms Venus said to say 'Hello'."

Oh how her sisters wanted to zip out of the kitchen so very, very badly.

John stared at her, lingering. His glass began to overflow.

"Um, dad." Blossom ventured, pointing.

John immediately righted the bottle and dropped it on the table. "You've met Olivia?" He asked, his tone unnervingly neutral.

"Yeah, Boomer and I have a Choir assignment and we've been practicing at... his... house." Bubbles had winced more in the past two minutes than she remembered ever doing in her entire life.

Bunny, Blossom and Buttercup were all darting surreptitious glances at each other. Really, if one of them made the move, the other two would instantly follow.

"She's really, really nice. You know, like you—like you said."

John blinked, before his lips slowly formed a thin smile. "That's wonderful dear," he said, his close eyed visage uncomfortably affable. He carried the glass as he stood, "Sorry girls. I have to get to work. I'll see you later."

The four girls watched in silence as their father shuffled out the kitchen—Bubbles shifting to give him room to pass—and into the lab, the door audibly closing.

"This is ridiculous," Bunny said once her and her sisters were alone.

"You think he knocked her up back in the day?"

"Buttercup! Why would you even suggest that?" Blossom reprimanded, issuing her sister a glare.

"I mean what else could it be? You mention that lady's name and he just..." Buttercup raised her open palms, looking for a word, but her sisters understood, perfectly.

"I kinda agree with Buttercup. Not that dad, you know, but he _always_ gets like this, even when he's the one who brings her up." Bubbles said, pouting at the door leading to the lab.

"He should just tell us."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Bunny, her eyes hard as they peered at the lab door. "Why won't he just fucking tell us what's bothering him?"

Blossom bit back her automatic reprimand for language and instead said, "Bunny, it could be really complicated—"

"Bullshit it's complicated, he just doesn't trust us."

"How can you say that?" Blossom clamored.

"It took her publicly adopting the rest of the Boys for him to tell us about Bear. You really think he isn't keeping more for us?" Bunny faced her leader, scowling.

"You're really calling our own dad distrustful of us?"

"I'd call anyone who doesn't trust their own children enough to confide in them distrustful."

"He doesn't have to confide in us to trust us. If he's keeping a portion of his life private we have to respect his—"

"There's a difference between privacy and secrecy Blossom. He always—"

"We are not _entitled_ to information on his personal life just because we're his daughters!"

"Girls, don't fight!" Bubbles cried frantically, looking between her sisters in surprise. Buttercup just stared, wide eyed, she herself perturbed as to when the shift in tone had even occurred.

 _"I_ am entitled to know more about his ties to that woman by virtue of my fucking _existence_!"

Blossom had already opened her mouth to angrily baste her for her language but the words got clogged in her throat as she absorbed Bunny's statement.

The anger on her face melted at Bunny's expression, suddenly feeling terrible for not putting herself in her shoes. There was something in her eyes as she scowled at Blossom, something that was much too... hurt, and deeply-rooted to be just anger. Bubbles and Buttercup looked equally as aflutter as their redheaded sister as they gazed at Bunny, both lacking words.

Bunny closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh, bringing her fingers up to her temple.

"Bunny..." Blossom started, her voice just above a whisper. "I didn't mean to—" Bunny cut her off by springing to her feet, angling for the door.

"I'm going for a walk." She announced as she disappeared from her sisters' collective view.

The sound of the door slamming seemed to reverberate as they stared after her.

* * *

She immediately lifted off to the skies once she was outside, her primary desire to get as far away from the house as possible. She didn't stop until she was thousands of feet above ground.

She slowed to a complete halt near a cloud, she looked down, Townsville and its surrounding cities resembling near-finished puzzles. The separated spots that were islands resembling the unused puzzle pieces. She sat on the air, raising her knees and hugging them to her chest.

She wanted to think she was angry at Blossom, but of-course that wasn't the case. Even though she _should_ have understood where Bunny was coming from, and not reflexively berated her as if she _intended_ to defame their father. She frowned. _He_ was the one she was angry at.

She never understood why he didn't just _talk_ to them about what bothered him so much about Ms Venus. Or at least her... she deserved to know. If not any of his personal relations with her, at least what he knew about her reason for executing her actions. He'd been flat out dishonest about virtually everything surrounding Bunny's reappearance until put in a corner by public proof that another superhuman besides her sisters and the three Rowdyruff Boys existed.

One that _looked_ like Bunny.

Didn't he think that she deserved to know more about... about the woman who created her? Well, re-created her, if she wanted to be specific. She sighed, burying her head in the company of her knees.

Her phone chimed suddenly, she jerked to. She could get service up here?

She drew out her phone and saw it was a text from Bear. Something clicked right as she read his name on her screen. She couldn't talk to her dad about this—mostly because he _wouldn't—_ but she decided to momentarily forget about that. She couldn't talk to her sisters either, while they would definitely listen, they wouldn't exactly understand, or be able to give her any answers. Neither of which she could blame them for, but still.

But Bear... wasn't that one of the reasons she'd wanted to talk to him so badly in the first place? He knew all about... he would understand.

She opened the text and immediately started typing without really looking at his message.

[ _Where are you?_ ] _  
_

She hit send. He was typing a reply immediately.

[ _Morning to you too lol_ ]

[ _Seriously, are you at home?_ ] _  
_

[ _Giving me real serial killer vibes with this straight forward energy_ ] _  
_

She snorted.

[ _Answer me!_ ] _  
_

[ _Lol I'm at a Coffee Shop. You wanted to hang?_ ] _  
_

[ _Yeah, send me the address_ ] _  
_

After sending that, she quickly remembered E-Maps were a thing and shook her head.

[ _Nvm lol. I'll find you_ ] _  
_

[ _Okay Carol Bundy_ ] _  
_

She chuckled and shook her head this time. She pocketed her phone and dived forward, back towards the city.

* * *

She recognized Bear's parked car before she landed, and when her feet actually hit the pavement she saw Bear himself. He was sat alone at one of the tables in-front of the shop, shaded by a placed-in umbrella.

He looked up as she neared him, smiling dimly in greeting as he exhaled smoke. She smiled back, taking the empty seat in-front of him.

"I didn't know you smoke." She said, jerking her head at the cigarette in his hand.

He arched a brow, thinking about it. They'd actually only hung out in school and at practice, and he didn't tend to smoke at either of those places. The former for obvious reasons.

"Oh. Is it bothering you?" He asked. She shook her head, eyes flicking to his open book under his other hand.

"What are you reading?"

"Beyond Good and Evil."

"Nietzsche?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod, taking a drag. "You read his work?"

"Not really, but I'm familiar with it. It was a big part of World Studies last year. Did you get it printed yourself?"

Bear nodded, taking care to exhale the smoke away from her face. And when he closed the novel Bunny realized that it was in-fact a plain black hardcover. "You want some coffee?"

"Oh, sure..." she fumbled for her wallet, taking note of the empty coffee cup to his side, right beside the ashtray and almost full pack of cigarettes. She also noted that—having stormed out of her house in a tame fit of anger—she had forgotten her wallet. "Shit. I think I forgo—"

"It's a'ight." He waved it off, ashing the near-finished cig as he stood. "What do you want?"

She ceased trying to find her wallet in places she'd already checked and looked up at him. "Um, Americano..." she said. He rose a brow. "Double sugar?" She finished with a bashful smile, he snorted.

She watched as he strode through the shop doors, listlessly twiddling her thumbs. Her eyes roamed around aimlessly until they settled on his book, she considered taking a look at it, maybe just the prologue if it had one. After a few seconds, she'd talked herself out of that idea, just as he returned with a mug in hand.

She worded a thanks as he handed it to her. "So, what's up?" He ventured as he sat, willing a stick from the pack into his hand.

"Not much, just kind of in my head I guess," she answered, sipping her coffee.

"About what?"

Her gaze lingered on the mouth of her mug as she faintly bit her lip. His eyes tepidly flicked to the movement. She looked back up at him, his pointed gaze prevalent.

"You know, your power makes you seem lazy as hell," she said.

Bear stared at her, and for a moment it looked he was going to call her out on avoiding his question. Well, she assumed that was what it looked like, the boy's face was nearly impossible to read.

Instead, he smiled idly and said, "Wouldn't _you_ be lazy if you could move stuff with your mind? I mean, I'm literally a walking life hack for chores."

She allowed herself a giggle, but the grin on her face slowly subsided as she watched him take a drag. "Did your mom help you out with it? To control it I mean?"

He hummed. "She helped me manage my anger, and that gave me better control of it by extension."

"You used to have a temper problem?" Bunny asked, finding it hard to picture any version of Bear that wasn't primordially nonchalant.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Growing up constantly called a freak by most of the people around you will beget that, you know?" He answered, and Bunny was momentarily stumped.

"Plus, we weren't so good off at first, when it was just the both of us," he continued, puffing smoke into the air. "So we weren't living in the most... friendly environment."

"How do you mean?" Bunny ventured heedfully.

"Let's just say, I found out the meaning of a lot of 'fun' words really early on. Including that one, you know, the one that rhymes with _trigger_." He finished, punctuating his statement with a silent drag.

Bunny felt her lower lip slack as her eyes widened. "Oh my God..." she couldn't even get her voice above a whisper.

Bear waved it off. "It's whatever. Well, it's not. But it is what it is."

Bunny gaped in disbelief, stuttering as she spoke. "You... you would have been so young, and even—even while you can shoot fucking lasers out of your eyes—" she paused for an incredulous laugh, slowly shaking her head. "—people still had the balls to throw that slur at you?"

He shrugged. "It's not that shocking, that they said it despite my powers," he said, with an audible complacence that surprised her. "It's about supremacy. Their belief is that we're—he gestured between them—principally subsequent to them. With that logic, they have pseudo evidence in our case."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we were created after our siblings." He answered pertinently.

A moment passed where Bunny just stared at him while he puffed his cig, a passing car briefly filling the quiet between them. There was a lot of meaning in that sentence, but, she realized she didn't need him to elaborate, it was kind of clear-cut. As a species, man was adaptive by nature, so naturally, once her sisters were created—his brothers not long after them—they eventually became a normality. Superhuman abilities or no. Once _she_ came into the picture, she was instantly attached to an image, and it was no secret that—initially at least—she wasn't as... commercial as her sisters. Just because of the color of her skin.

Even though her family had never made her feel like such. They were very vocal about it, as well as extremely protective of her growing up.

Anyway, point was, he was saying they technically weren't special. And in a way, he was right.

"You've never experienced that? Or anything similar?"

"No, not really. I mean... well there was this time we had a photo shoot for this kid's magazine and, um, the photographers were being kinda... my dad took care of it anyway." She answered, sipping her coffee, though it was more of a gulp. "That must have been so tough for your mom, trying to protect you from that."

"It was but, really? She was even tougher," Bear replied, ashing the now finished second cig. "She always taught me to never apologize for who I was. That I was of value, despite generational, racial insecurities. And that the people who saw that, were the only people who mattered."

Bunny found herself nodding noncommittally, the corner of her lip curving up. "That's amazing... she sounds great, your mom."

"Yeah," Bear chuckled, briefly flicking his eyes away from her to smile yonderly, by the time his eyes shifted back his lips had thinned. "What did you want to talk about?"

Bunny blinked. "Huh?"

"You wanted to see me, and you said you were in your head about something that I assume is the reason behind that. Plus, you looked a little grated when you got here. What's up?"

Bunny blinked again, stumped at his intuitive attestation. He looked right into her eyes, making it hard, if not impossible to look anywhere else. There was something about his gaze—so direct and magnetic—that _commanded_ you to hold it. It made him really easy to talk to, she realized.

"Has your mom ever told you anything about her and my dad?" She said, feeling like the question had asked itself.

He blinked thoughtfully, scrutinizing her beseeching expression. "Yeah, I guess. A few things," he answered.

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "How they went to college together. Worked as lab colleagues for a bit. You know, basic shit. Apparently they were kinda tight."

She knew all of that for the most part. "You never asked for more info?"

He shrugged again. "Didn't really care to know," he replied, then jerked his head at her. "Do you?"

She hesitated, and he took that as a "Yes".

"Why don't you just ask your dad?" He inquired, and at her frown, he got his non-verbal answer again. "Oh... is that why you wanted to talk?"

Her eyes fell to the mug that she was holding with both hands. Bear only gazed, allowing her constellate her words.

"I just—" she blurted after a few seconds. "—I don't know why he doesn't want to talk to me. He didn't even tell me about you until the day your mom adopted your brothers. He hasn't told me what happened that made her leave Townsville. Or how and _why_ your mom... created us. You know I have no memory of that whatsoever? I just remember waking up in his lab with him and my sisters surrounding me. I mean, doesn't he think I deserve to know these things? I don't fucking get it. If not my sisters then _me_ , I do. I have enough issues dealing with the capriciousness of my mind as is, I don't understand why he would purposely withhold that kind of—"

She paused, realizing she was rambling, she looked away from the swirling brown of her coffee, back up at Bear's eyes, eyes that hadn't even twitched away while she prattled.

She groaned, propping her elbows on the table and raising her hands to place her face in them. "I'm sorry, I did—"

"Don't apologize."

She paused, lowering her hands just enough so she could look at him. His expression was soft, but gravely firm.

"Don't. I get it. I get you." He said, and they gazed at each other for a stretch longer before her hands slowly re-enveloped her eyes as she took an audibly deep inhale.

Bear didn't know the answers to all her questions, but... he did know the answer to one. It surprised him, that she had no recollection of her creation. Or how she'd ended up back in Townsville, with her dad. He hadn't even told her that?

The thought piqued his mind. He could tell her, after all... he'd been there. He'd been there when her dad unexpectedly came to their house. He'd been there when she'd awoken in her tube. He'd even eavesdropped on their parents as they discussed what to do with her...

He was surprised she hadn't even asked him.

He bit his lip. He could tell her. But he wasn't sure if he should, if there was already friction between her and her dad, this information would only thicken it.

He exhaled, steeling a resolve. "You should talk to your dad."

This time, she dropped her hands onto the table completely, but her eyes stayed glued to her mug.

"These are things you deserve to know. He doesn't have the right to withhold information that _directly_ involves you from you. And I guess that you've obviously talked to him about this already but... try demanding it this time."

She didn't move.

"And if he still won't talk to you. My mom will."

Her eyes shot up, wide.

The look he returned was one of assurance. "If he doesn't lay it all out for you, then just let me know. I know my mom would be more than eager to talk you herself." He said, meaning it.

She slightly gaped at him for a few passing moments, her eyes wild with consideration. She flicked them to the side, sobering considerably. Then, eventually, she nodded and muttered an...

"Okay."

She sat back in her chair, slumping ever so slightly. He stared at her a long while before looking to his open cigarette pack. He immediately willed one over. Bunny looked up just as he lit it, watching him take the first drag and blow the smoke out into the air, away from them.

"Bear."

He dropped his hand, letting the cig hang in his lips as he faced her.

"Thank you."

He looked—always, _always—_ directly into her eyes and nodded. His own eyes coherently telling her "You're welcome". Or, knowing him, probably "Sure thing."

She chuckled at her thought as he plucked the cigarette from his lips.

"Why do you do it?" She asked gesturing at it.

"Helps me relax."

"Doesn't it taste like shit though? Like, objectively?"

"Naw, not this brand. Cigs come in flavors now you know. This one's mint."

Bunny peered at the cigarette as he primed it for another drag. It _did_ look different from a basic cigarette, it had a white filter and the body was brown, looking almost hand rolled.

"Do you know if it can damage you? Us?" She asked, equally referring to their siblings.

"Narcotics in general can't damage us. My mom ran a test on Butch—who happily volunteered—and found out we feel the effects like everybody else, but Chemical X heals any and all damage they cause to our bodies."

"Damn, we really are walking life hacks," She said.

"You think I'd be harmed by measly human substances? Bitch, I can shoot fucking lasers out of my eyes." He jived, grinning as she laughed.

She shook her head at him as her laugh subsided into snickers. He snickered himself, before his attention was suddenly arrested by some guy nearly falling off his bike on the other end of the street.

She was suddenly hit with a wave of remembrance.

"Hey,"

He turned back to her, brows raised in question.

"Hm?"

"So, my birthday's in a few days..."

_~End: Ch. 3~_


	4. Believe Me

**IV - Believe Me \- ** _Zed_

Bunny smiled as she waved goodbye to Bear. He returned her a Shaka Sign from behind his wheel before driving off. They'd subconsciously spent close to two hours engaged in random banter, Bunny wasn't even aware they'd been at the coffee shop that long until Bear got a call from Butch and happened to look at the time on his phone.

She flew back home with a smile etched on her face, the ire in her exterior completely pacified, and she made a show of doing a ring-a-round in the air before landing at the front door with a laugh. She was greeted with the sight of her pink-eyed sister perched on the living room couch as she swung it open.

Blossom turned to the door, locking eyes with Bunny, the latter quickly darted her eyes to the lab door. She could hear their dad still working.

"Has he come out of there since then?" Bunny asked casually, striding over to Blossom.

"Haven't even heard him take a break," Blossom shook her head as Bunny plopped down beside her.

"He made a wise choice having a toilet in there didn't he?" Bunny jived.

A mirthless laugh escaped Blossom's lips. "Yeah."

Bunny's grin fell as she looked from her sister to the TV, not surprised that it was on the News channel. Blossom interlocked her hands on her lap, equally frowning at the reporter who relayed the weather. And they just sat there, moments passed with no words spoken, no action carried out. Until Bunny pulled her legs up on the sofa, then Blossom slightly slumped in the into the cushion.

After a few more seconds, Blossom caved.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," she said without shifting her eyes away from the screen.

Bunny immediately turned to her, and the weight of her gaze left Blossom with no choice but to turn as well. Upon facing her, whatever was weighing her chest down instantly evaporated at the sight of Bunny's gentle smile.

"I'm not mad at you," she said.

Blossom's frown was stagnant. "I should have understood where you were coming from," she insisted.

"Don't you?" Bunny retorted, Blossom stared. "I know you understand. You were just trying to defend dad,"

"I shouldn't have done that at your expense."

"Well, I haven't exactly talked about _that_ in a while. So you probably didn't even factor it in."

Blossom opened her mouth to reply but Bunny beat her to the punch with a soft laugh. "It's okay Blossom, really. I don't want this to be a thing between us. You're not the one I'm angry with." She finished, her eyes moving from her sister to the lab door as her smile fell.

"You should talk to him about that, you have a right to," Blossom said.

"I think we all do,"

"We can only hope dad tells us about that in his own time, but you—" Bunny's eyes roamed back to Blossom, "—you deserve to know more than he's told us."

After Bunny had stormed off, her sisters had talked and understood her reason for doing so. How could they not? They were talking about a woman that was intertwined with Bunny's very existence, of-course she wanted to know more about her.

Needed to know.

Bunny snickered noncommittally, but she smiled nonetheless. She scooted closer to Blossom and laid her head on her shoulder. "Thanks big sis."

Blossom grinned bashfully as Bunny's cottony hair lightly squished against her neck. She let her eyes settle on the TV as the newscasters discussed the upcoming state elections.

"You know, in actuality, we're biologically the exact same age." She suddenly said. Their dad had tested and confirmed this.

"Like you don't like the title anyway." Bunny rolled her eyes and they shared a laugh.

* * *

Bubbles and Boomer synchronized their voices, smiling at each other as they harmonized into the end of the song. The class erupted with applause the second they were done. Bubbles smiled coyly before Boomer grabbed her hand, she turned to him as he coltishly raised his other hand elegantly and chuckled as they bowed to their classmates.

Mr Bladen's eyes looked glossy as he praised them before they bounded up to their seats, where a galvanized Susie awaited them.

"I will _literally_ die before I ever let either of you partner with anyone else for a duet." She said.

"You really think you're gonna enjoy immortality?" Boomer said, and both girls laughed.

One more duo performed before the bell went and the class collectively scampered out the door. Boomer and Bubbles had to all but wrench themselves from their teacher's embrace. They separated from Susie in the halls.

"Sorry about Mr Bladen. He can be a little dramatic," Bubbles said

Boomer laughed it off. "It's okay, I like his spirit. It was just kinda weird when he started crying..."

Bubbles swiveled her head once they entered the cafeteria. She saw Robin and Mike seated with some members of both their squads.

"Let's sit with them," Boomer offered. She followed his line of sight to see Bunny waving her over, Bear and Buttercup flanking her.

She grinned. "Okay."

"Hey Hey. How'd you guys do?" Bunny asked as Bubbles sat, Boomer right after her. He made a swift attempt to snatch Bear's chips. Bear made him slap himself instead. Buttercup cackled.

"I think we did good. The tears are always a good sign," Bubbles smiled, picking some lettuce from Bunny's tray.

"Ah, Mr Bladen. The man's better suited for Theater honestly." Bunny snickered as she recalled his shenanigans from when she and her sisters—sans Buttercup—were all in Choir freshman year.

"Where's the rest?" Boomer inquired, rubbing his cheek tenderly as he glared at Bear.

"Kim and Pablo said they couldn't even get paid to eat Monday's Meatloaf. So they went to Bruno's," Bear answered, eyes on his phone.

"Butch? Mitch? Harry?"

"Breaking the law under the bleachers. I _will_ stab you." Buttercup said, growling the last part as a warning to Boomer, who retracted the hand that was inching towards her meatloaf.

"Mitch was laughing at Mr Colton's _Periodic Table_ jokes yesterday. Don't know how he didn't suspect anything," Bunny said, offering Boomer a few bucks. He brightened and swiped them with a thanks.

"Suck it!" He said triumphantly, waving the money in Bear and Buttercup's faces. They both blinked at him perfunctorily as he sprung up and headed for the vending machines.

Buttercup turned to Bubbles. "Thought _you_ didn't have this lunch?"

"Mr Anderson didn't show up to school today. Something about his wife I think." She clarified.

"So just to be clear, you guys are celebrating at an arcade?" Bear directed to all three girls on the table.

"Idea courtesy of Moi," Bubbles preened with a broad grin.

"The racing better be kick-ass," Buttercup said though a mouth-full.

"That sounds pretty tight. Been a while since I bowled,"

"This guy knows what's up!" Bunny said, gesturing towards Bear theatrically.

"It's going to be great!" Bubbles beamed.

"You know, I kind of expected you guys to make a way bigger deal about it," Bear said.

"Seriously? Why?" Bunny asked and Bear jerked his head at Bubbles. Said girl had stars in her eyes as she enthusiastically relayed the arcade's paraphernalia in detail.

"Oh. Trust me, it wasn't easy to convince her," Bunny whispered.

"Bitch would have had us riding elephants in fucking Princess dresses otherwise." Buttercup said, the relief in her voice unmistakable.

Bear snorted at the image of Buttercup fuming in a regal, shimmering green dress. Boomer returned to the table, cradling two sodas and bag of chips. He slided one of the beverages to Bubbles.

"I heard some guys talking about Homecoming." Boomer said, thumbing behind him, "Are you guys going?"

"I'd rather swallow scissors dipped in acid," Buttercup deadpanned.

"Isn't Homecoming just like, a month away?"

"Three weeks actually," Bubbles answered Bunny, then suddenly assumed a slightly panicked look. "I haven't gotten those new heels yet!"

"Think I'm with Buttercup on this one. I'd rather not waste a whole night shuffling back and forth for hours under sparkling lights," Bear said as he shook his now empty bag of chips.

"Whatever Donnie Darko," Bunny laughed as Bear listlessly flipped her off.

"Boomer can come with us," Bubbles chirped.

"Us?" Boomer looked between both sisters.

"Yeah, Pablo, Bubbles and I are going as a group. Wanna tag along?" Bunny smiled at him.

He smiled back and nodded. "Hell yeah."

"Anti-Homecoming night club concert with the rest of the gang?" Buttercup offered, facing Bear.

"Anything besides the Twinkle party." He assented and Bunny returned his earlier gesture.

"I'm going to have to beat the weekend rush at the mall." Bubbles muttered to herself as Buttercup swiped Boomer's soda out of his hands.

"Oh _fuck_ you!"

* * *

Blossom just couldn't concentrate, no matter how hard she tried. She was practically just fiddling with her pencil as she tried to sketch on her drawing pad, her eyes constantly flicking to an oblivious Brick.

He studied his sketch before looking up at his canvas, squinting, and making some adjustments on his drawing pad. It was only now that Blossom admitted to herself that he looked so... in his element. It was obvious he knew what he was doing. She'd seen his work.

But still, she struggled to cement this image in her mind. There was just no possible way he could've changed so drastically, especially if he'd _grown up_ with such... frightening traits to his person. She still remembered that day eight years ago, that dreadful day in the bank. The day she'd seen a side to him that unnerved her. They were only nine, _nine_ years old when he did that.

She'd gotten there before he looted any money, nearly jaded with having to deal with his shenanigans yet again. Upon zooming through the doors however, she was instantly alert at the horrifying sight before her.

Brick had a sadistic grin on his face as he turned to her. "Finally. I was worried we would have to start the game without you."

Blossom's voice got caught in her throat as she slowly floated down. "Brick... Brick what are you—"

"Don't move!" He ordered, and she immediately stopped approaching him. She had her hands helplessly raised in plea as her eyes roamed over the room, taking in the terrified citizens who were all hunkered down on the floor, most of them visibly shaking. Blossom looked to the cashier who was on her knees, then to the gun Brick had pointed at her head.

She swallowed a swelling lump in her throat.

"Brick. Y—you don't know how to—"

"Use it? Don't worry about it. I've picked up a few things from TV... mostly," Brick laughed as he spun the cylinder. There was a collective scream from everyone, Blossom included.

"Stop!" She pleaded, her eyes glossing as the cashier squirmed.

"Ever heard of Russian Roulette? Ace was telling me about it the other day and I thought—" he pulled the trigger. No bullet. The cashier fainted.

"Stop it!" Blossom yelled, eyes beginning to flare.

Brick zipped to a guy against the wall, pulled his head up and pointed the gun at him, "—man, I'd _kill_ to play this game. Get it?" He laughed, and Blossom's eyes dimmed. Her anger along with them.

"P—p—please. I've got a little boy. I—Ah!" Brick pulled. No bullet.

"You get to see him again. Lucky you." He sneered as he dropped him and zipped to another woman by the waiting seats.

Blossom felt them, they'd dropped out so suddenly. The thin, warm streams that fell down her cheeks. What was this? She thought as she watched this boy, this _child_ clumsily handle a loaded Revolver. Laughing as he pointed it. She knew he was a bad guy, but this was... this was sick. This was evil.

"You know... when you play this game, there's a one-in-three chance that you're the one who'll, you know, get popped," he grinned maniacally, raising the gun away from the quivering woman to his own head. Blossom paused.

"Let's test that." He smirked at her and pulled.

No bullet.

"Uh-Oh," he chuckled, re-pointing the weapon at the woman beneath him. "Odds don't look good, do they Blossom?"

The woman was sobbing now, unable to look up from the floor while she pleaded for her life.

"Please Brick. Please. Why are you doing this?" Blossom said. Her voice was faint, feeble. But she didn't care, Brick was about to... about to...

His face dropped into a deadpan before he arched a brow at her. "Why? I mean, these cockroaches on their bellies? Your _face_ right now?" He paused for a cruel laugh, placing his hand over his eyes and throwing his head back. His other hand still holding the gun in place.

His laughter faded as he returned his gaze to her, looking right into her eyes and smirking darkly.

"I'm doing this because it's _funny_."

He was too far from her. If Blossom so much as jerked he would shoot. And if the probability he stated earlier was accurate, the next shot would not be empty. Blossom looked from Brick to the helpless lady and back, the gears in her head spinning rapidly, trying to think of _something_ before he—

"Well," she faced him. "It was fun playing with you, Blossom."

His finger curved around the trigger. Her breath hitched, eyes widened...

"No—" Her cry was cut off by a raucous thud as Butch crashed through the wall and plowed into Brick at breakneck speed. The two of them bundled roughly towards the glass doors, shattering them upon impact. The gunshot—that did in-fact carry a bullet—fired aimlessly into the ceiling. Blossom shook herself out and was quick to zip up and catch the projectile as it ricocheted, squeezing the metal in her palm and flinging it.

She looked down as Buttercup whizzed in through the hole Butch made. And judging from her glowing mitt, she was probably responsible for his impingement.

Buttercup only looked forward, Blossom followed her gaze through the shattered doors to see Brick and Butch shuffle to their feet. The latter growled and set himself to lunge forward before Brick grabbed him by the arm.

"Let me at her!" She heard Butch say. Brick simply glared at him, before shooting into the skies. Butch issued one more furious glare at Buttercup before following suit.

"Oh no they don't!" Buttercup proclaimed and rose into the air.

"Let them go," Blossom ordered. Buttercup looked up, seeming to just notice her sister then.

"But they're getting away!" Buttercup groused as they saw a blue streak join the fading red and green ones.

"Did you stop him from robbing the bank?" Blossom asked as she descended.

"Yeah but—"

"Any casualties?"

"Well, no but still—"

"Nothing else matters, the money's intact and the people are safe. Since Boomer's also retreating Bubbles probably handled her end too." Blossom said with finality, her voice sounding a little void...

Buttercup only looked at her then. _Really_ , looked at her.

"Blossom. Were you... _crying_?"

Blossom blinked. Just now registering the sensation of dried tears on her cheeks. She imagined her eyes were still lightly tinted red. Outlandishly—Buttercup thought—she turned to the surrounding citizens without answering.

"Can someone call an ambulance?" She requested, the hollowness in her voice still present.

"Yeah. Sure Blossom." A man answered and held up his phone, while another man—a fellow cashier—jogged over to his unconscious colleague. That's when Buttercup noticed everything.

The affrighted man by the wall who was clutching his heart as a fellow man tried to comfort him. A woman who was mumbling thankful prayers as she kissed her little children who held onto her like a lifeline. A sobbing, kneeling woman right by the hole she'd punched Butch through, a couple of people making their way over to her. The general mixture of fear and relief that bedecked the faces of every citizen present.

She continued to swivel, confused. Her eyes landed on Blossom who was equally surveying the room with repose.

"Hey. What happened here?" Buttercup asked. Blossom stopped flicking her eyes to stare at her just as Bubbles flew in through the vacant doorway.

"Are you girls okay?! Where are they?!" She cried, referring to the Boys. Only Buttercup looked at her.

Blossom's eyes were fixated on the Revolver, laying on top of the wall debris.

She remembered that day. She would always remember it.

Doing graffiti on Car Park walls was one thing. Toying with the lives of innocent people was another thing entirely. And at nine years old? Could he even blame her for being hesitant to trust him? How was she supposed to believe that he'd completely reformed, especially if his primary orientation was constituted by such dark ideals? She also hadn't forgotten that he'd been working for _Him_.

Brick heaved an irritated sigh and ceased drawing. He dropped his charcoal pencil among the others on the easel holder and turned to scowl at Blossom.

"Can you let me work without fucking staring at me all the time? What, is this a part of your master plan to discover my _true intentions_? Do you have _soul_ vision now?" He groused.

Blossom blinked. She hadn't even realized she was looking directly at him. Regardless, she returned his glare, but didn't retort.

Brick arched a confused brow, scowl cemented. There was something different about the way she glared at him today. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she actually looked more... curious? Than angry.

"What?" He spat.

She simply held his gaze with equal venom before abruptly jerking. Brick had subconsciously mimicked the motion himself, and he looked up at the ceiling about the exact same time Blossom did.

"Blossom? Brick? What's the matter?" Ms Wilson asked and the whole class turned to look at the superhumans.

It made sense that they were the only ones who could hear it, Brick thought. It was a distant thudding. Fast approaching. Big. Really, _r_ _eally_ big.

Blossom shot up as a hulking Monster foot smashed through the ceiling. She braced herself against it before lobbing the foot upwards, away from the class.

Brick—who hadn't twitched—watched as she flew through the gaping hole, the thunderous monster roar booming above. He looked down, realizing the class was suddenly empty, no trace of life barring a gust of wind and a paper that blown by it, sailing to a landing on Ms Wilson's empty desk.

Comically, the bell signifying lunch period rang then.

He darted another glance at the hole above him before gathering his drawing instruments and books with a groan.

"This place sucks." he grumped as he casually strolled out of the class.

* * *

Bear smacked Butch across the head.

The latter sputtered something unintelligible as he jerked awake.

"Monster attack. Guess that means we got a free block now." Bear said, slinging his bag over one shoulder as he ambled towards the door.

Butch blinked blearily at the empty classroom before dragging himself to his feet. "What did I miss?" He yawned, rubbing at the sleep sand in his eyes.

"We gotta review a book by Gabby Rivera," Bear answered as they strode idly among the scampering, panicking students.

"Which? Wait. Don't give a fuck." Butch amended as they cleared the front doors just in time to see Bunny fling the behemoth of a monster South, towards the docks. Four streaks of energy immediately trailed its soaring form.

A crowd of spectators had gathered in-front of the school, and now they rushed off the property, or to their cars. Seemingly more eager to cash in on an unintended free block than afraid there was a rampaging monster in the city.

A Townsville resident's definition of normal would _starkly_ contrast with the generic definition, Bear thought. He turned to Butch who had his lips pursed in thought.

Suddenly, a blue streak whizzed at them, materializing as Boomer upon its halt. "You guys wanna go grab a bite at Bruno's?" He beamed, gripping their shoulders.

"Let's get high first," Butch ventured monotonously.

"Dude. Aren't we gonna come back to school?"

"Your point?"

Boomer hummed, considering what kind of experience it would be to listen to the explanation of the difference between Microsis and Mesosis in the elevated realm of THC. Or was it Miklosis and Metosis? Fuck, like he would listen either way.

"Okay. I'm in." He grinned as Butch turned to Bear.

"You?"

"Naw," he answered, eyes staring in the direction the girls had flown off in. "I want to check something out."

* * *

Bunny gritted her teeth as she slammed into the asphalt. She grunted at the pain she felt in her shoulder as she pushed herself up.

There was a crash beside her and she looked up to see Bubbles' form collecting concrete as she skidded away. Bunny knit her brows in ire as she swerved to see the One-Eyed beast thrashing its arms around in a bid to biff the two pink and green streaks zipping around it.

She waited until Buttercup connected a powerful uppercut that sent the giant into the air before she zoomed up to its head and delivered a rattling sucker punch to its side profile. Blossom followed up by rounding a scissor kick to its midsection, propelling it further into the air.

The three Puffs proceeded to bombard the creature with a fury of punches and laser beams, keeping it suspended in the air as it jerked helplessly. That is until it managed to swing a desultory claw, the sheer size of its hand leaving Blossom no time to zip out of the way before she was slapped downwards, where she crashed through the windows of a high-rise.

Buttercup and Bunny didn't relent and the former fired her eyebeams across the monster's torso as it descended. It released a screeching cry and tried to claw her but Bunny kicked its arm away before coating herself in energy and flying through its palm.

The beast barely had time to release another roar of pain before Buttercup sped up its descent by axe kicking it where her laser wounds were still fresh. The hulking beast landed just at the head of the—evacuated—city dock, skidding to a stop millimeters away from the bridge.

"So. I guess I'm on Monster clean up duty today right? "Bunny groused as she and Buttercup floated down to the beast's twitching form. "I hate flying to that place," she said, referring the very island that was loaded with many more variants of the behemoth below them.

"You could just hurl it from here." Buttercup ventured.

"Did you guys get it?"

They both turned to see Bubbles drifting towards them.

"Yeah, stubborn fucker that's for sure. Where's Leader Girl?" Buttercup asked.

Bunny turned back to the monster as Bubbles answered Buttercup. It stopped twitching, unnaturally, abruptly. She arched a brow, that was a little stra—

The monster's eye suddenly flashed open, its mouth followed, revealing its tongue that was perforated at the tip. Something was visibly piling up in said tongue, in preparation to shoot out.

"Watch out!" Bunny warned as she zipped out of the way. Buttercup and Bubbles turned to identify the problem, and by the time they made to avoid it, the problem smacked right against them both.

The monster shot what was presumably acid from the hole in its tongue, but upon contact it seemed to be some sort of yellowish, viscous substance that carried both girls into the side of a building at full pelt.

"Girls!" Bunny yelled as her sisters struggled against their saliva-generated trap.

"Ugh! For fuck's sake!" Buttercup growled.

"Wait! Wait! I think you're making it worse!" Bubbles said beseechingly, noticing how the substance slowly hardened as Buttercup thrashed.

Bunny made to fly over to help them but arced backwards when she heard another shot. The literal spit ball missed her by inches. She stopped to hover and glowered down at the monster as it clawed at her. She zipped around its hand and landed a drop kick on its chest before it could stand to its feet, sending its form thudding back to the ground, imploding the concrete and uprooting debris into the air.

Bunny looped around its thrashing arms before shooting towards its head and releasing a a powerful glare of her eyebeams directly into the monster's own circular orb.

It cried in pain, which only encouraged Bunny to increase her intensity as her beams melded into one. But she was careless to put all her focus into that attack, and she knew this when she felt something wrap around her leg. She turned and shot a futile beam at the claw before she was slammed against the concrete.

She shot out another aimless beam from her hand that missed the monster by miles before she was slammed again.

 _'Conserve your X!'_ She thought to herself, clenching her teeth as she met the concrete again. And again. And again.

"Bunny!" Her sisters cried, struggling vainly against the yellow snare.

The monster slammed her against the ground once more before flinging her towards the parking area where she impacted a row of cars, disturbing their alignment. Lucky not to offset the engines.

Everything was faint. The cries from her sisters, the roars from the monster. It was all faint. She couldn't really hear anything beyond a piercing hum, similar to the sound of an old television warming up. The rest processed as just background noise.

Her sight was just beginning to return as well as the black lacuna in her vision opened up as she blinked. Now the sound of her heaving breath was what was most prominent. The rest of her senses were much slower to catch up, but now she could taste the dirt in her mouth, mixed in with something... metallic.

She gobbed onto the floor and saw a tint of red in her saliva.

"Great," she groaned, cringing at the monstrous screech as she peeled herself off of the car, leaving a Bunny-sized dent in it.

She looked up at the threshing beast as it jerked recklessly. Its eye was closed shut as it continued to howl in pain. Her attack earlier had done significant damage.

She exhaled and shook her eyes back into focus and prepared to take advantage of the handicap. A pink streak beat her to the punch.

Blossom caught one of its flailing arms, and arced upwards. Her momentum made it easy for her to lug the unsuspecting beast as it vainly tried to smack her with any limb possible. She grunted and skidded to an abrupt stop, switching the monster's motion as she spun it wildly before vaulting it into the air.

Bunny's eyes followed its ascending form until it disappeared beyond the clouds.

"Bunny!"

By the time she looked down, Blossom was already in-front of her.

"Are you okay?" She clamored.

"I'm fine." Bunny assured. "Let's go help the girls."

"Ugh! How do we get this shit _off of us_?" Buttercup groused as her sisters landed.

"No need to curse Buttercup." Blossom reprimanded passively as she scrutinized the substance her sisters were trapped in.

There was a massive thud then, one that reverberated through the whole port and momentarily lifted Blossom and Bunny off the ground. Only the latter even acknowledged the fallen monster with a glance in its direction.

"Have you tried using your lasers?"

"Buttercup has tried everything," Bubbles responded Blossom with absolute certainty.

"Maybe I can break it off." Blossom decided, stepping back and inhaling.

With inexplicable agility, the monster—that had been laying completely idle—righted itself on one arm and opened its mouth, primed to shoot. Again.

Bunny's eyes widened.

"Blossom!" She warned as she zoomed off. But _just_ like the her sisters earlier, Blossom—literally mid-breath—didn't react in time. The monster spat, and now Blossom too was trapped in the vicious spittle.

"Come on!" Bunny grumped, mildly frustrated that her sisters' senses were asleep today.

"Blossom!" Bubbles cried as the redhead struggled just to her side.

"Well. Isn't this just peachy," Buttercup groaned.

"Bunny watch out!"

Bunny heeded the warning and careened out of the way as another catapulted glob narrowly missed her. She zipped straight towards the monster, eyes glowing in ire.

She weaved more literal spitballs before landing a direct punch on the beast's still sore eye. There was a shrill cry that emanated from it which she completely ignored and fired a beam from her hand, one that blew the annoyingly stubborn beast past the port area and towards the water.

She made to finish it off but was knocked by the swipe that came from her left. It didn't help that the hit impacted directly with her head.

She wasn't sure if she cried in pain or not, she hit the concrete pretty fast. It wasn't a hum this time, it wasn't faint in any sense of the word. It was deafening.

Everything in her head was screaming. She didn't know how long it took before she pushed herself up on her knees, spitting out the dirt she tasted yet again, the blood it was laced with obvious now. She could barely hear her exhales. Shit.

There was something else mixed in with her jagged breath. It sounded far away, but she could tell it was supposed to sound loud. She looked up and realized the monster was not where she'd left it.

Panic sparked instantly. She looked over to her sisters just in time to see the monster rip Blossom off the building and bring her up to its watery eye.

Blossom tried to escape its clutch, but she was still coated in its saliva. Bubbles and Buttercup wailed in protest, but could do nothing as the beast tipped its head back.

Bunny's eyes widened. Was it—was it about to _eat_ her?! No! She had to, she had to...

She had no choice.

Her eyes glowed as she stretched her hand out towards the creature. It froze. She felt it instantly, the mental link was materializing. She just had to get it to drop Blossom at least, that would give her enough of an opening to—

She halted, hearing herself croak.

Something manifested in her mind's eye, right as she was about to manipulate the monster. An image she begrudgingly knew all to well. It was...

Her.

"Ah!" Bunny cried as she retracted her hand and clutched her head as the glow in her eyes disappeared.

No. No. No no no no no. Not now!

Blossom's scream pulled her attention as she watched the monster regain its move and mockingly throw her in the air, placing its open mouth under her as she descended.

"Blossom!" Bunny screamed. Feeling helpless. Feeling useless.

"Wait!" Buttercup suddenly came to. _Of-course_ , she thought.

"What?" Bubbles turned to her with glossy eyes.

Buttercup's body was suddenly coated in energy, and some of it shot off her.

Blossom looked on in horror as she neared the hollow pit, wreathed with double layers of large, jagged teeth.

She had to do something. What could she do with her eyebeams? No that was stupid! Her Ice Breath, her mouth was still free, maybe she could—

All of a sudden, she found herself drifting away from the monster having been inches from becoming its lunch. She stuttered before she realized she realized she was being carried by Buttercup.

"Buttercup! How did you—"

"I'm a clone Leader Girl." she answered as she stopped to hover at a safe distance.

Blossom looked in the direction she'd been flown from, watching as another two Buttercups took the monster by an arm each. The speed they'd tackled it with left it unable to react as they flung it with all their might. And the monster's roar faded with every second as it soared further and further into the distance. Conveniently, right in the direction towards Monster Island.

Bunny heaved a hefty sigh of relief as she watched the creature's form disappear beyond her regular field of vision. She shifted her gaze to the ground, staring at it, staring past it.

 _That_ image flashed in her head one more time. She shut her eyes and shook her head vigorously.

"Get out." She whispered desperately.

She heard her name, then she looked up as one of Buttercup's clones was laying Blossom's cocooned form on the ground. The other two were waving her over. She shook herself out and flew over to them.

"Bunny, are you okay?!" Bubbles bleated.

"I'm fine, Really." Bunny waved it off, even if she knew she wasn't being entirely honest.

"There's still the question of how we get this fucking monster slobber off." Buttercup frowned as her clones reverted back into her.

"Quit cursing for once! Bunny," Blossom said. Bunny looked down at her. "I have an idea."

Around seven minutes later, Bunny had flown to the fire station, explained the situation to the fighters, borrowed a portable water hose, and flown back with it.

She twisted the lock on the tank while pointing the nozzle to her sisters. She directed the gushing water at Blossom first, and noticed that the yellow substance was indeed dissolving. She had freed all three of them within a minute.

"We can decontaminate these things right?" Buttercup said, referring to their suits.

"Don't they do that by themselves?" Bubbles inquired, checking herself to make sure there was no monster residue on her.

"That was a close one. Are you sure you're okay Bunny? You took some pretty hard hits." Blossom asked.

"Positive." Bunny answered, managing a smirk.

"Okay," Blossom nodded. "Let's get back to school."

"Shouldn't monster duty exclude us from school activities by default or something?" Buttercup groaned.

"We're not doing anyone a favor Buttercup. This is—" Blossom reproached.

"—our responsibility. Right." Buttercup groaned a reply, before taking to the skies.

"Wait. Are we still gonna have English?" Bubbles called, flying after her.

Blossom turned to Bunny as she floated. "You guys go on ahead. I have to return this anyway." Bunny said, raising the hose for emphasis.

Blossom nodded and zoomed off. Bunny watched her streak until it vanished. She frowned then, taking a second to look around her tepidly, before her eyes circled back to the flexible tube in her hand.

She sighed and rolled up the hose and locked the tank before lifting it and flying off towards the fire station.

There were many buildings that directly faced the docks. Bunny flew past one. A large, evacuated office building.

Evacuated, not unoccupied.

On the other side of one of its reflective windows, Bear hovered.

He wordlessly plucked a cigarette from his mouth and blew out smoke, watching with grave eyes as Bunny's streak vanished in the distance.

* * *

Butch loved Mortal Kombat. It was arguably his best video game on the planet.

It had garnered massive popularity since its inception in 1992. Spawning multiple sequel and spin-off games. An animated series. A comic book series. Even a television film series. It was also the highest grossing video game franchise of all time.

But Butch couldn't give less of a fuck about any of that.

He only lived for the gameplay. The unabashedly gory, sanguine viciousness that the game was infamous for. He loved it.

He loved it now more than ever, because it was the only way he could expel whatever the _fuck_ it was that he was feeling.

The last two weeks had been draining in a way that really frustrated him, because he didn't know what to fucking do. Normally he would head to a batting cage. Or an abandoned garbage dump. Or the training room—thank God his mom always made sure to have one installed. Just so he could _hit_ something. Just so he could get this feeling _out_ of him. That was what he understood.

But this feeling, this was different. This wasn't the explosive rage he was used to, this wasn't something that made him want to channel it through his fists. On heaps of trash. Or on an unlucky monster. Or an unlucky _person_ if he was _really_ ticked off.

He'd never had to deal with his anger when it was directed at himself.

That's why he was plowing through the catalogue of fighters with ill-reserved savagery. Utilizing the fighter with his favorite Fatality. Triborg.

It was satisfying to watch his enemies get pulled into the death machine, to watch them get skewered by the chain blades before they were ground by the blunted cog and slowly squashed and spat out in a sloppy cube of human meat.

Normally he'd laugh at the mutilation, but now he just went back to the catalogue and picked a different fighter to skewer all over again.

He knew they were programmed, but his gestures really did make Triborg seem like he was enjoying consecutively murdering his fellow fighters. Which would make sense considering at least ninety percent of the game ensemble were absolute psychopaths. But Butch understood.

He knew a thing or to or two about being a psychopath, he thought ruefully as the match began.

Nothing else could explain it, right? He knew he'd done some very messed up stuff. He could tell himself he was born into it, that he couldn't have done anything about his orientation. But that sounded like bullshit when he acknowledged the fact that someone like Boomer shared that very same orientation.

So maybe he was just messed up, he'd grown to not really give a shit about people's opinions on his behavior. In his opinion, people were just too fucking sensitive, and too fucking political.

But that didn't have anything to do with anything did it? He thought, scowling as he smashed the buttons on his game pad.

That he wasn't what people would call 'moral' didn't mean he had the right to treat people without respect. His mom had ingrained that into his skull. And though it took some time—and a lot of school suspensions—he'd learned it.

It wasn't like he ever cared about crap like ruling the world or any of that tyrannical crap his so called 'father figures' raved about constantly. He just liked to wreck things, because he could. He knew he could whatever the fuck he wanted and nobody would be able to stop him. He was just a power-crazed child.

That was why he did it. That was why he retaliated in that manner after Buttercup had fought him in the bank, and gone on to wedgie him and leave him hanging from flag pole. She'd laughed at him. She'd insulted his power. And it had infuriated him.

That was why he'd hatched a plan. That was why he'd spied on her the following day before he had to leave with his brothers to wherever Him wanted to take them. That was why he'd surreptitiously followed her to Pokey Oaks Elementary School's playground. Watched from a tree as she met up with some brown haired kid on the monkey bars. He'd briefly thought about how a nine year old kid could be at an empty school playground by himself on a weekend. Where were his parents?

That thought quickly evaporated though as Butch smirked maniacally. He watched as they chattered and played together. It was a little weird actually, seeing Buttercup in that kind of element. But he liked it. It was going to make this revenge much sweeter.

He poised himself on the hidden branch right as Buttercup pushed the boy down in the sand and they both laughed. He grinned and pelted forward.

His timing was perfect. Using his special power, he charged up electricity in both his hands and shot at her. She hadn't seen it coming at all. And he speedily utilized that opening as she was being electrocuted.

He hooked his fingers around the neck of her dress and pulled.

He flew a few more feet before arcing upwards and pausing to hover as he looked down at her. Snickering giddily at his work.

The boy in the sand box widened his eyes from his position on the ground, horrified.

Buttercup was on her knees, reeling from the literal shock. She knew it was Butch the instant she'd recollected herself. She gritted her teeth in anger and stood to look for him.

But the instant she did, she realized she felt a lot more... exposed. She curiously looked down at herself and saw... and saw...

Nothing.

Nothing but her underwear.

And that wasn't it.

She'd felt it earlier. A strange sensation she had never felt before. One that she didn't think much of. One that she now wish she had.

It wasn't until a few days later that she learnt the reason behind it. For now though, she looked, petrified at the red stain on her underwear. Before raising her head to see him, Wes, staring at her, equally petrified.

She croaked and hunkered into the sand when she realized she'd been standing still, shielding herself in a self-embrace.

Butch cackled loudly from above her, watching as she turned her head to look up at him. Watching as her eyes shifted from him to the dress in his hand.

Her vision instantly became blurry with tears.

"Payback Butterboo." Butch said maliciously. A chillingly wicked smile across his face as the dress in his hands went up in green flames.

Without turning elsewhere, Buttercup zoomed off, faster than he'd ever seen her fly. Ever.

Butch doubled over in the air as he cackled, oblivious to Wes staring up at him. Paralyzed with disbelief.

 _"FUCK!"_ Butch yelled as he snapped the pad in two.

He couldn't believe he'd done that. He couldn't believe he'd laughed about it. He couldn't believe he'd _forgotten he'd ever done it_.

He looked at the shattered pad in his hands, vaguely listening to the fight that was still occurring on his screen. He looked up and stood, the two halves of the controller clattering to the ground as his fists glowed at his sides.

He waited for the anger to consume him, to envelop him so he could pour it on his TV. But it never did, it only brewed at the pit of his stomach. Gnawing at him.

He exclaimed another "Fuck!" before the energy on his hands reverted.

The sound that filled his room were his exhales, annoyingly undertoned by the game that was _still_ playing.

He couldn't take this shit anymore, he thought to himself. His mind wondered back to the weekend. To his conversation with Bear. He looked to his door.

His brothers were all out. Bear and Boomer had said something about getting the girls presents for their birthday tomorrow. Brick said he was going to the library or something.

But his mom was home, and she was probably done with work for today.

He peered at his door a moment longer, then strode towards it.

"Mom?" He said, lightly knocking her door.

"Yes honey?" She answered from behind it.

"Are you busy?"

"Not at all. Come in."

Butch swung the door open to meet the sight of his mom sitting on her bad. Engaged in a book as she leaned against the headboard.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked.

"Um..." Butch started, then just looked at her. Olivia arched a brow and closed her novel.

"Honey. What's wrong?"

"I, uh... I need to tell you something mom."

* * *

Brick nodded at the Librarian as he signed in.

He would have done his homework at home but he also wanted to check out the library's repertoire. He wanted to add something new to his book shelf, and he was hoping that for all of Townsville's repute, it would have some respectable books in its public collection.

There weren't that many people here, he could hear pages being flipped and pens scribbling against paper. He estimated there were about five or so people present, all of them towards the front, more or less. Which meant he was sitting at the back.

He ambled between the lofty book shelves, listlessly scanning the aisles. He found that there was actually a mini-section dedicated entirely to Camus.

Well, at least they had taste.

He emerged onto the tables situated at the back and—

The sound of his sneakers squeaking to a halt was almost deafening.

 _'No fucking way.'_ He thought.

Blossom looked up from the table he'd stopped right in-front of, her eyes widening as they met Brick's.

"What the—what are you doing here?" She spat.

She didn't mean to, honestly, it didn't seem all that strange for someone like him to be here, but ever since that unpleasant recollection yesterday, the sight of him did nothing but aggravate her.

Unsurprisingly, his surprise quickly morphed into similar ire.

"You understand English don't you? Told you before that what I do in my spare time is none of your God damn business."

"Watch your language! And keep your voice down!" Blossom reprimanded in a tone just above a whisper.

Brick scoffed out a laugh. "You never switch it off do you?"

That stumped Blossom, and she ended up just widening her eyes in confusion.

"Yeah, there's that 'deer caught in the headlights' look you do so well." Brick said, then paused. This inexplicable sense of Déjà Vu he kept feeling was really starting to fuck with him.

He shook himself out of it and glared at Blossom for good measure, before stalking over two tables away from her.

Blossom glared at his retreating form, huffing before shifting her eyes back to her homework.

Ten—extremely unfocused—minutes later, she looked up.

"You're really shocked that I blatantly distrust you? Really?"

Brick groaned and hung his head in annoyance. Why hadn't he brought his earphones?

He looked up with a frown. Though there were meters between them, and Blossom was basically whispering, he could hear her perfectly. He stared at her glowering face a moment and decided—for the sake of his peace—to humor her.

"Shocked? Not particularly. You're clearly the type of person who would hold an eight year old grudge." He answered.

Blossom rolled her eyes, ignoring the dig. "You expect me to believe you've completely reformed? I've not forgotten the things you did." She said, her glare deepening.

Brick's frown curled into a full on scowl. "You ever consider who raised me? You ever consider _how_ I was raised? _Where_ I was raised?" He said, gritting his teeth as he dropped the pencil in his hand to avoid snapping it.

Look at her, this silver-spoon who was born with everything at her fucking feet. Who was born into a life of adoration and praise. She was sat so comfortably on her high horse like she was some paragon of 'good'.

"I have in-fact," Blossom replied, "and that's why I find it very hard to believe that such a fundamental orientation could be undone in five years."

Brick's scoff was empty this time. "Then that's clearly _your_ fucking problem. Believe it or not, we didn't enjoy constantly fighting little girls for a living as much as you think."

And then they just glared, they seemed to always be doing that.

Blossom looked right into those scathing, engine red eyes. Scrutinizing them as she clenched her jaw.

"Do you remember that day in the bank?" She asked pointedly.

Brick was silent for a second, but he didn't flinch.

"Perfectly."

Blossom's eyes widened. What? _That_ was his answer?

Her lip twitched as she subconsciously squeezed on the sides of the book she was holding. "You remember toying with those people's lives and calling it a joke? You remember doing that when you were just nine years old?"

"I do." He retorted, unfazed.

Blossom fought back the urge to scream. How could he be so _NONCHALANT_ about this?!

"You want me to believe that someone capable of _that_ at that age would be a good person eight years later? That was... that was pure _evil_."

Brick peered back into her fuming eyes. "It was. And I'll tell you again..." he said, leaning forward ever so slightly as he whispered...

"You don't know anything about how I was raised Blossom. You don't know _anything_ about me, or my brothers."

Blossom's face imperceptibly softened, and she marginally retracted. She remembered that he'd said that in class once. But this time he sounded much more grave. There was something much... darker about his voice.

And in that specific moment, she wondered—just for a millisecond—if he was right.

Brick picked up his pencil and returned his full attention to the books in-front of him. Done with the discussion.

Blossom stared at him a little longer, his words hanging around her head, before she frowned and reluctantly faced her books as well.

* * *

"What about these ones?" Bear said, pointing at a pair of nude stilettos from his position on the sofa bench.

"What?" Boomer whirled from the other side of the display aisle.

"These," Bear repeated, still pointing.

Boomer squinted at the shoes, then shook his head abruptly. "Bubbles would want something flashier."

"Well _pick_ one already dude." Bear lightly grumped, eyes flicking to a pair of girls who were giggling as they threw furtive glances at him.

"I got to make sure she loves it man." Boomer said, shaking his head at another pair.

Bear whipped out his phone. "They aren't even expecting presents Boom. I don't think you have to get anything extravagant,"

"Doesn't matter. Bubbles likes presents, even on small occasions."

"Yeah? How do _you_ know?"

Boomer paused, his back to Bear so the latter didn't see the 'busted' look in his eyes. "I've just paid attention to her behavior." He said cryptically.

He didn't hear a response, meaning Bear had probably let it go and was occupying himself with his phone. Boomer thumbed his chin and refocused on the row of shoes in-front of him. The lady beside him was giving him a weird look, and he saw her gaze briefly shift to his nails, then away.

He rolled his eyes and continued to survey the heels. He stopped at a particularly shimmering pair.

His smile broadened.

* * *

Butch told his mom everything, from Buttercup's attitude towards him to their confrontation to the reason behind her attitude in the first place. He made sure to emphasize the fact that he was nine when he did it. He wasn't sure why, but he did.

His mom stared at him with something he couldn't quite place. Disbelief? Disappointment? Disgust? (Okay. Maybe he was exaggerating with that last one.)

Olivia mulled over the information she'd just received. She wanted to say she was analyzing it, but there was nothing to analyze. There was nothing to try and translate.

Butch was sitting on her bed as well, but his legs remained on the floor. She looked up from her sheets and decided to peer right at him.

He was definitely somewhat discomforted by that as he had to tear his eyes away from her before he could speak.

"Mom I... I don't even—"

"Do you understand what you did?" Olivia interjected.

Butch turned back to her. "I... Yeah. I know it was fucked up. And it's been eating me alive mom, I haven't been able to shake the feeling. And I don't even know what to do—"

"It far surpasses the realm of 'fucked up' Butch," Olivia cut in again.

Butch clamped his mouth shut. The use of his actual name as opposed to "Honey" or "Sweetie" meant his mom was in Full Scolding Mode. Which was _never_ a good sign.

"You... violated her, in such a crude manner. You completely degraded her, in-front of her friend, without even considering the mental damage it could inflict on her."

Butch barely opened his mouth before Olivia pushed on.

"It doesn't matter that you didn't know any better. It doesn't matter that you were a child," she said, and his eyes widened because she'd practically read his mind. "If even a normal kid did that to a girl in public he would be recommended for surveillance and psychiatric prescriptions, at worst."

Olivia's expression was serious, almost angered, but somehow she managed to keep her voice level. Somehow, Butch didn't feel like he was being berated.

That was thankfully aided by the fact that her face actually sobered then and she shifted closer to him so she could place her hand on his shoulder.

"Honey—" Butch inwardly exhaled. Honey was good. "—have I ever told you about my friend Claudia? From college?"

Butch furrowed his brows and shook his head.

"Claudia was my roommate in my freshman year, I met Auntie Helen through her," Olivia started "We were practically inseparable, the three of us. Claudia was one of the funniest people I knew, one of the bravest. _The_ toughest. She helped me through a lot in college." She said, smiling as she reminisced.

"There was this day—" She continued, her smile doing a complete 180. "—news went around campus, about these group of boys were harassing a female student because she didn't answer their cat calls."

Butch shifted uncomfortably. "Oh... did they, like, do something to her?"

"They stripped her top off and circled her while they jeered." She answered, bluntly.

Butch felt two kinds of disgust then. Disgust that some tiny dick assholes found it funny to do that to a girl just because she booted their egos. And disgust at himself for thinking about how a nine, hell, a fourteen year old him would have found it funny as well.

"Claudia was infuriated when she heard about it. We all were, but it was different for her. I'd never seen her so angry. Helen and I eventually had to ask her if there was something more to her ire, then she started crying." Olivia momentarily paused, her eyes flicking away from Butch as she frowned at the thought.

"She didn't want to talk at first, but we managed to convince her otherwise. She told us about an experience she had in High School, when she was in her freshman year. There was this boy on the football team who kept asking her out, and she kept rejecting him. Her rejections got firmer and more vocal as he got more persistent. One day at a party, he called her all sorts of obscenities, but she didn't care. He was just a jock with a bruised ego. Though, she couldn't have anticipated just how much she'd bruised that ego."

Butch didn't like where this was going.

"The next day at school, while Claudia was gathering her book for her next class, the boy—along with his friends—ambushed her. One of them restrained her while the boy held her skirt up, and the other one helped them carry her through the hallway, all while the other students laughed."

Butch couldn't even begin to imagine how damaging that must have been. Really, he couldn't. Someone like him was just never going to be put in a situation like that, and it just hit him then how lucky he was to be able to say that.

There are some experiences that must be very, very different for girls.

"Claudia really liked skirts," Olivia continued following Butch's silence. "They were the trend back in our days. She had so many of them. But after that day, she couldn't wear a skirt or a dress for five years. Not even to her prom."

Butch was maintaining a sedate demeanor, whether he knew it or not. He just felt... weak. It made him feel so defeated thinking about what his _payback_ would have done to Buttercup. The fearless, defiant Buttercup that fled with tears in her eyes. Because of him.

"Did the school do anything?" He heard himself ask.

"They suspended the boys, but Claudia still switched schools."

Butch's eyes fell to the carpeted ground.

"Honey. You have to apologize to Buttercup. Genuinely. Make no excuses about childish revenge, or try to palliate what you did by telling her you're different now. That's good that you are, but it doesn't erase what you did. If you want peace, you have to let her know you understand what you did, how horrible it was and how you're genuinely sorry about it."

Butch pulled his lips in and slowly shook his head.

"I don't know if she'll forgive me mom."

"This isn't about you," Olivia said instantly, and Butch whirled on her with a muddled expression. "It isn't up to you if she decides to forgive you or not. You just have to do your part in making sure she knows you're genuinely sorry about what you did."

Butch stared at his mom reverentially, though it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him that she knew exactly what to say. She often did.

He took a minute to absorb her advice, before exhaling and nodding at the floor. He turned to face her once again when he dropped his arms on his laps.

"Thanks mom." He said, in a soft tone that was very aberrant on him.

Olivia's thinned lips curved into a small smile, her hands sliding from Butch's back up into his hair. "I know you're not that kind of person anymore honey. And I know that you wish you'd have known better. Don't beat yourself over it."

Honestly, he didn't deserve his mom, but Butch would never let her know he thought that.

He simply nodded again as she caressed his hair. "Hey mom—"

She lifted a brow.

"—can I skip school tomorrow?"

Olivia gazed at him, considering, but after deducing that the exhaustion on his face had nothing to do with physical fatigue, she needed no further contemplation.

"Of course sweetie."

* * *

"IT'S THE DAY!"

There was nothing any of Bubbles' sisters—and most likely even their neighbors—could have done to occlude her inevitable shriek of elation in the morning. They'd all taken preventive measures with ear plugs, Buttercup had gone the extra mile and tied two of her sweaters together, using them as a makeshift rope to bind one of her pillows around her head. But it was all for naught.

Bunny and Buttercup's eyes flew open instantly. The former shifted her eyes to the alarm clock, the bright red numbers blinking; 6:12. She didn't even have time to groan.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Bubbles screamed as she burst into their room and bounced from bed to bed.

"Jesus Christ Bubbles." Buttercup groused blearily. Bubbles simply ripped the pillow off her head.

"Happy birthday!" She enunciated with a smile before hopping back to Bunny's bed and repeating the gleeful laud.

Bunny gave her a tired smile despite herself. "Happy birthday Bubbles."

"Let's get ready for school!" Bubbles preened before zipping out of the room. There was a sound of a door swinging open, followed by a faint scuffle and another shriek of "Happy Birthday" by Bubbles, followed by an exasperated iteration of complaints by a sleepy Blossom.

"We need to keep that girl very far away from coke." Buttercup grumped as she rolled over and pulled her pillow over her head.

"I'd take cokehead Bubbles over sugar rush Bubbles any day." Bunny yawned, plucking the plugs from her ear.

* * *

A little over thirty minutes later—courtesy of Bubbles' benevolent coercion—the girls were all dressed and ready for school.

"Where's dad?" Buttercup asked as she stepped down the stairs behind Bubbles.

"Probably at the lab downtown. He must have needed to go in early." Bubbles pouted. They would probably still see him today, but she'd have liked to start the day with her whole family present.

"Where's my flannel?!" came Bunny's cry from upstairs.

"What smells so good?" Bubbles wondered as she sped up into the kitchen.

"Why don't you check behind the other ten?!" Buttercup replied Bunny with a sneer.

"Eat me bitch!" She retorted.

"I know we agreed not to give each other presents this year—" Blossom said as she exited her room and floated towards the stairs. "—but could you guys minimize the cursing for today? For me?"

"Sit through thirty minutes of the 'The Descent' with me tonight and you've got a deal." Buttercup proffered, turning to a descending Blossom who's expression fell with solicitude.

Buttercup snorted.

"Buttercup! Did you do this?!" Bubbles clamored.

"Do what?" She asked, but she was ambushed by the aroma as well just before she walked through the kitchen door. Her eyes widened upon sighting the dining table.

"This!" Bubbles squealed gleefully, gesturing at the preset table.

A heap of pancakes overspread with maple syrup sat in the middle of the table. Flanked by two saucers filled with English muffins. Assorted with a jug of coffee.

"Whoa." Blossom and Buttercup echoed.

The latter recovered faster.

"When was the last time we had pancakes!" She brightened, making for the table.

Bubbles was already seated and had rationed some into the plate that was set for her. Buttercup simply forked one straight into her mouth.

"Just how I like them." Bubbles said, sighing in satisfaction as she chewed. Some time ago, after some persistent pleading, she'd gotten to Buttercup to try out a Vegan pancake recipe she saw online. Ever since that day, they'd completely abandoned the traditional recipe. She liked to think that was the first step in her plan to veganize all of them. However, getting them to eat healthier pancakes was one thing, getting them to permanently substitute chicken for tofu would be a much more arduous battle.

Blossom smiled at her jaunty sisters as she approached them, she was a big fan of their pancakes herself. She caught sight of a folded note in-front of the jug as she reached the table.

"This is _exactly_ what I'm talking about." Bunny said as she emerged in the kitchen, grinning at the table in approval. She quickly swiped a pair of muffins and zipped over to the fridge.

"So what's with this sudden altruism BC?" She said, fetching a jar of Nutella. "Is this you coming out of your anti-fluff closet?"

Buttercup flipped her off. "I didn't do this," she answered through a mouth-full.

"Really? Then—"

"Dad."

All eyes turned to Blossom, who was smiling broadly at the piece of paper she held between her hands as she read it out.

"I know this one's a favorite for you girls. I threw in some muffins just to be a bit extra. Oh, and tell Buttercup to go easy," she paused to look at Buttercup, so did Bubbles and Bunny.

Said girl froze right as she was about to inhale a third pancake, staring at her sisters.

They giggled at her predictability, even more so when she stuffed her mouth with the flat cake anyway.

Blossom continued "P.S. One of you girls should video-call me once you read this."

"On it!" Bubbles declared and tapped at her phone instantly. Within seconds, her dad's face appeared on the screen. Her sisters gathered around her and John smiled at them from behind his protective goggles.

"Happy birthday girls." He said lovingly.

"Thank you dad!" They echoed in varying tones. Not that any of them were being impassive, it was just hard to be heard over Bubbles.

"I really wish I could've been there but things have been really busy lately and—"

"We understand dad, it's okay. Thank you for breakfast!" Bunny said. Her sisters dittoed their assent.

"You're welcome," John said with a grin. "Oh! Before I forget," he said, and the screen shifted as he moved his phone away from his face. Some bustling workers from his division came into view, firmly concentrated on their work, testing, observing, recording, repeat.

"Hey! It's my girls' birthday!" John's voice proclaimed. The ten or so chemists in view turned to the camera and simultaneously yelled "Happy birthday!" amiably.

"Oh my God." Bunny placed her hand over her mouth as she laughed.

"Thank you so much!" Bubbles replied, reciprocating their cordiality.

"Thank you guys." Blossom smiled also. Buttercup rolled her eyes, but couldn't curtail the smile that curled onto her lips.

John was laughing like any father who had purposely embarrassed their kids would by the time he came back into frame.

"Dad. You are _such_ a dork," Buttercup said.

"Unfortunate that you girls are stuck with me then isn't it? Alright, I have to get going now. I'll see you girls at home."

They waved bye to him as Bubbles cut the call. The girls settled down and began to dig into their special meal, launching into casual chatter about school and their plans for the evening.

Ten or so minutes had passed when Blossom stole a look at her watch and frantically began to sort herself. She grabbed her bag and made for the door, explaining that she had to be at school early to help Ms Wilson out with something. Her sisters understood and bid her their goodbyes as she left.

It hadn't even been a full minute later when their causerie was disturbed by a repetitive car honk. The girls exchanged muddled glances, clearly not expecting any company this early in the morning.

"I'll check it out." Buttercup said, standing as she set her coffee down.

She threw the door open, her eyes widening when she recognized Bear's car, parked right in-front of their house.

It seemed they were awaiting the confirmation that they were at home, because it was only when she stepped out that Boomer emerged from the passenger door. He waved as he walked up to her—gift box in hand. Bear came into view as he rounded the car and stuffed his keys in his pocket, two gift boxes floating behind him as he trailed Boomer.

"Happy birthday Buttercup!" Boomer touted as he reached her.

"How do you fuckers know where we live?" She inquired, genuinely surprised at the sight before her.

"Gee thanks Boomer. I can't believe you guys came to surprise us with gifts before school," Boomer parodied, then snapped and pointed at her. "You're welcome."

Buttercup's face twisted into a glare as Bear reached them.

"In what universe would she say 'Gee'?" he said.

"Boomer?" Bubbles—who'd rushed to the door when she heard his voice—smiled. He looked up at her.

"Happy birthday!" He exclaimed, holding his gift forward before pushing past Buttercup.

"Does he have an Off Switch?" Buttercup asked as Bear walked in.

"We've been looking for years." Bear answered, shaking his head.

"How'd you guys find our address?" Bunny asked as she stepped out of the kitchen, her eyes flicking between him and the boxes suspended behind him.

"Pablo told us," Boomer informed, handing Bubbles her present as they both sat on the couch.

"You didn't have to show up with literal gift boxes you know," Bubbles said, chuckling as she loosened the bow-tied ribbon.

"I don't like to be predictable."

"Anyway. Happy birthday, low budget Wonder Women." Bear said as a box each floated to the other birthday girls.

Bunny cackled.

"Suck my dick." Buttercup retorted with a smile as she grabbed the box out of the air.

"Aaaaah!"

Honestly, it was only the boys who reacted to Bubbles' scream. The girls had heard too much of it today alone to still be phased.

"Look!" She squealed, zipping over to her sisters and wiggling a pair of silver heels in their faces.

"Oh. Wow." Buttercup said flatly, watching with unabashed disinterest as Bubbles' lengthy curls flopped around her as she bounced in exuberance.

Boomer laughed sheepishly. "I figured you could wear it for Homecoming, since you said you didn't—"

He _oofed_ as she zipped back to the couch and squeezed him in her arms. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Sure. Um... Bubbles..." Boomer wheezed, starting to resemble a color comically similar to the one of his t-shirt because of the asphyxiation being inflicted on him. If she noticed, Bubbles ignored it outright. And the fact that she squeezed tighter probably entailed that she didn't.

"You know we said no presents right?" Bunny smirked at Bear

He shrugged. "Well. I've never been here for this. So shut up and open it."

She laughed but obliged. Buttercup followed suit.

The latter couldn't quite identify the sound that escaped her lips upon viewing the item the box had been concealing. A gasp? A croak? A _moan_ maybe? She didn't really know. She didn't really hear anything in that moment honestly. Barring her sight, her senses had dulled.

"Are—are these, Bose QuietComfort?" She whispered, staring down at the headphones laying on top of creased, colored tissue paper.

"Second-gen SoundLink series," Bear textured with a dinky but smug grin. "Boom and I picked it out."

Buttercup inhaled, then turned to Bear. Her expression was strange, in that it was obvious that she was absolutely enraptured, but also extremely shocked. She stared at him, her lips marginally parted.

Bear got what she meant.

"You're welcome." He snorted.

Buttercup nodded thankfully before returning her gaze to the device that was going to be welded to her head whenever possible.

Bear turned to Bunny and found her speechlessly staring at the content of her box. He smirked again. He'd noticed that—like him—Bunny seemed to have a streetwear sense of style. So once she'd told him her birthday was coming up, he had hit Amazon and found a pair of lace up Grunge boots. He instantly knew they would be the perfect gift. He threw in about five different colored laces in case she wanted to get creative.

"Are those pancakes?" Boomer said, having been mercifully freed from Bubbles' death grip. He stood up and followed the scent without waiting for an answer.

He was unlikely to get one in any case. Seeing as Bubbles was preoccupied with fitting her new sheeny shoes and Buttercup's drool was basically streaming down her face.

Bunny slowly raised her eyes from her new footwear—hers—to look at Bear with a an almost crazed simper.

"Try to take them off every once in a while a'ight?" He grinned.

Bunny let the box fall as she held the boots to her chest. "I could kiss you."

"My lips belong to the Lord. Sorry."

Bunny's smile really did garnish her face, Bear thought. He realized he liked her smile, it was infectious, gratifying. There was something about it that made him want to see it as often as possible, and he was definitely getting a good, protracted view of it now. She genuinely loved her present.

"Thank you." She said—more squeaked—appreciatively.

Bear shot her an amicable wink.

* * *

"Thank you." Blossom laughed bashfully at a boy—a very brave freshman—as he handed her flowers at her locker. He smiled back and scurried off.

She'd been getting a lot of attention today, especially from the male half of the student body. It was natural of-course, considering the occasion, and Blossom enjoyed the felicitates more than she let on. But between the mass of birthday cards in her locker and the ever emboldening boys in the school, she decided to take refuge in the library to avoid getting overwhelmed.

A figure emerged from the guys bathroom a few lockers to her left, she turned and instinctively frowned. Brick didn't give much in the way of a reaction as he neared her.

"Is all this babel because of you?" he impassively inquired, eyes sliding to the bouquet in her hand. "What's this? Powerpuff Appreciation Day?"

"How original of you," Blossom retorted as he strode past her.

"It was a guess. Just being ingenious with your city's standard of creativity is all."

Blossom bristled and opened her mouth to retort but was interjected by a cry from someone in the hall.

"Happy birthday Blossom!"

Both she and Brick turned to the sophomore waving from a ways down. Blossom managed a smile and waved back in thanks, definitely opting against giving a verbal response from this distance.

Brick shifted his gaze back to her. He'd heard Boomer mention something about the girls' birthday, but he didn't realize it was today. His scowl reappeared when she returned her attention to him.

It wasn't like it made a difference anyway.

Without another word, he sauntered away from her. Ignoring the feeling of her eyes boring holes into his back.

* * *

"Don't be too late boys." Olivia said as Boomer placed the cereal bowl he'd used back into the cabinet. Bear leaned against the kitchen frame, waiting patiently.

"We won't," he assured.

"And you had better answer when I call." she reinstated. Boomer came up to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"We will. Promise." he said as he trailed Bear who'd already started for the front door.

"Alright. Have fun you two. And send the girls my wishes. Love you!"

"Okay! Love you!" they echoed before she heard the door shut.

The microwave dinged a couple of minutes later and she drew out the microwave-safe dishes that contained her Broccoli Chicken Casserole. She transferred them into three dinner dishes and set the table before calling for the rest of the boys for dinner.

Brick was down first, and his eyes almost glazed over as the tantalizing aroma knocked into him.

"Please be home for dinner more often." He said as he took a seat right beside her and instantly picked the appropriate silverware.

Olivia obliged him with a close-mouthed chuckle as she chew.

"How come you aren't going with your brothers?" She asked.

"Well I wasn't invited for one. And I wouldn't have gone if I was regardless."

"Why? The girls seem like wonderful people,"

Brick suppressed a scoff. "You'd be surprised mom."

Olivia stared at him for a moment.

"You should give this place a chance honey. You might end up liking it more than you expect," she said beseechingly.

This time Brick let out the scoff. "I'd sooner drink whole kegs of iodine." He replied, biting some chicken off his fork.

Olivia looked amused, but she opted to simply smile at him knowingly before facing her food.

* * *

Upstairs, Butch slided his window open to air out his room as he'd just finished toking.

He'd heard his mom bid his brothers farewell as they left for the girls' party and had briefly contemplated following them. But that was a stupid idea.

Her sisters were there. All their friends were there. And she'd probably punt him in his vital areas if he tried to pull her outside.

He would do it some other time. In-fact...

He picked up his phone and texted Mitch even though he likely wasn't going to see it until much later. He just needed a location, he could coax it out of Mitch if he decided to stubborn anyway.

A car rev stole his attention and he strolled to his window that faced the street. He watched in silence as Bear's car drove by, eyes following it until it disappeared beyond his field of vision.

* * *

They were probably the last ones to arrive, Bear thought as he pulled to a stop behind two other cars, recognizing the one in-front of him as Pablo's. He supposed it made sense, Bubbles did say four o'clock. It was just six or so minutes shy of five-thirty now.

"Let's go get our _rumba_ on!" Boomer exclaimed with a broad again.

"Never, _ever_ say that again." Bear deadpanned, twisting his key counterclockwise as the car turned off.

They couldn't see much of the arcade through the slightly tinted windows. Even the flickering lights that made up the wide sign reading; BERSERKVERSE above seemed dull. But maybe that was because it hadn't gotten dark yet.

The arcade attendant allotted them their coins after they paid and led them to the Food Area that demarcated the game machines from the bowling section. They could see their friends seated in groups of six at two of the tables.

Pablo waved once he caught sight of them. "Hey guys!"

His greeting drew everyone's attention to him, then to the boys he was waving at. Boomer raised a double Peace Sign and simpered as they all voiced their welcomes. Bear asked the attendant for permission to borrow chairs from other tables, to which he agreed.

"The man!" Harry hailed as Bear chuckled and bumped fists with him. He extended that greeting to Mitch before willing a few of Buttercup's fries into his mouth.

"Hey!"

"Thank you." Pablo, Harry and Kim said to Bear gratefully. Mitch laughed as Bear willed a seat over and placed it beside Bunny.

"Late, like always," Bunny smirked.

Bear shrugged in retort as he grabbed a fry from her plate as well. Bunny found herself looking at his arms. Weirdly enough, this was the first time she'd seen him in a short sleeve. Her eyes momentarily lingered on the tattoos that adorned his inner left forearm before she looked away.

"Holy shit! How many layers are those?" Boomer said, staring at the cone of ice-cream in Bubbles' hands.

"This is my first one!" Bubbles cried defensively. Susie laughed.

"You really just lied like we haven't all been here for the past twenty minutes," Mike said.

"It's four layers by the way." Robin answered Boomer.

"Whatever. It's my birthday." Bubbles retorted, petulantly licking her ice-cream.

Boomer laughed as he took a seat and planted it between Bubbles and Billy. His eyes roamed over to Blossom, who seemed a little out of place in a neon-themed amusement arcade.

He realized something.

"Happy birthday Blossom." He grinned.

His voice seemed to have brought her back to Earth as she faced him, a little wide-eyed.

The smile she returned seemed genuine enough. "Um. Thank you Boomer."

They all gabbled and ate for another fifteen minutes before deciding to hit the games. Bubbles pulled Boomer to the dancing section, since he was the only other person who wanted to play it. Buttercup, Mitch and Harry jetted towards the motorbike racing. Kim trailed them, staring at the retreating blondes as Bubbles laughed. The rest of the group made their way towards the bowling area.

"I can go easy on you since it's your birthday you know? Just say the word." Bear taunted Bunny as the group neared the lanes.

She scoffed. "Reverse psychology? You really that scared?"

"Hope you're not a sore loser then."

"Right," Bunny sneered as she turned to the others. "Okay. Teams?"

"I'm with Bear!" Pablo said immediately, raising his hand. They all turned to him, Bear included. Pablo didn't flinch.

"I've got a feeling you're really good," He beamed at Bear.

"I guess we're captains." Bunny chuckled to Bear, who could only blink at a gleeful Pablo.

They picked their teams and inputed them in the score machine before Mike—on Bunny's team—stepped up to go first.

The rest of them moved to the booths to wait their turn.

Blossom ended up right in-front of Bear, and it was almost like he'd seen her for the first time tonight.

"Didn't really peg you for an arcade type of girl," he ventured.

Blossom impalpably jerked and turned to look at him. She stared for a second, then said "Sounds like there's an insult in there somewhere,"

Bear shrugged. "There isn't."

Then they kind of just looked at each other. They hadn't really communicated much over the few weeks he and his brothers had started at THS. They hadn't sat together since that first Poetry class and they barely saw outside of there, if at all. So, it was understandable that they didn't exactly have a bounteous source to pull conversation from.

Though, something did abruptly cross Bear's mind.

"Happy birthday by the way."

Blossom blinked, then swiveled her head away from him and nodded.

"Thanks."

* * *

Blossom thumbed through her poetry book, searching for one of Sylvia Plath's specifically. It was in her head throughout last night before she slept, now she was unfortunately having a hard time remembering the title.

The class was relatively empty right now—there were actually only two other people. She was a few minutes early, seeing as she had heeded her advice and consistently spent the last minutes of her break in class always. She liked the silence, it... settled her. Put her right in her precincts.

She noticed her books were disproportionately stacked out the corner of her eye. She re-stacked them instantly so they piled from largest to smallest, bottom-up. Satisfied, she returned her focus to her poetry just as another person shuffled into the classroom.

She was scanning through the stanzas when a book was literally shoved over the page, obstructing her view.

Her reflex almost took her head up to glare at the person who'd disturbed her. But her optic nerves worked much quicker. Her eyes widened.

She recognized the book immediately. The title—adorned with the simplistic cover art—read; We Should All Be Feminists.

Blossom followed the arm that held the book all the way to the person's face.

Bear inclined his head at her. "Happy birthday. Again."

Blossom realized she was gaping and consciously clamped her mouth shut. She looked from Bear to the book and back, then she looked to the book again.

Bear got tired of holding it out for her and dropped it on top of her book stack.

"How did—how did you get that?" Blossom had been trying to get that book for months. It'd been out of stock literally everywhere she checked. And she couldn't find an original copy online. It was either frustratingly rough-hewn or the site was simply inaccessible.

"One of my Nigerian friends back in Canada brought a bunch of books back from home after the holidays. This was one of the many I borrowed and, well, never gave back."

Blossom openly stared at it for a second, before dropping her poetry book and picking it up.

"It's... practically in perfect condition." She said, her thumb grazing the crisp edges.

"I take care of the ones I like." Bear said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You read Chimamanda's works?" Blossom inquired, looking back up at him.

He paused for a second. "I guess you could say that. She's slowly garnering global attention you know."

"Yeah, I know." Blossom knew, very well. She made it her business to keep abreast with the advancement of intelligent, pioneering women. "I just... I didn't peg you the type of person to be interested in books like this."

"Sounds like there's an insult in there somewhere."

Blossom couldn't believe she actually laughed despite herself. Though, it was more unbelievable that a small model of a smile found its way to his face. She'd never seen that. Thinking about it though, he'd probably never seen her smile either.

"That's fair," Blossom snickered, shifting her eyes to the book and thumbing circles on its surface before looking up to Bear again.

"You didn't have to... why are you giving me this?"

"'Cause I want to," he answered simply, catching her off guard. "Do you not like it or something?"

"No it's not that! I do like it. I just..." Blossom trailed off. She understood that it'd been her birthday but, they didn't have any ties to each other. They had actually never even had a proper conversation. Well, perhaps until now.

Bear's soft chuckles disrupted her musing.

"It's not that deep Blossom. I just heard you talking about wanting new feminist-enlightening books with Robin yesterday. And I'd given all your sisters presents, so I thought I'd let you have this."

"But how'd you guess I like Chimamanda?"

He shrugged. "You look like you know your stuff."

"Oh," she replied, unsure whether to acknowledge the compliment.

"Well, um..." she took yet another glance at the material in her hands, before returning her glance to him.

"Thank you... Bear."

He nodded.

The bell sounded, punctuating his statement. And from the looks of it, ending the conversation.

Bear strode past and took a seat in the desk behind her. Blossom resisted the urge to turn and look at him as another male student claimed the empty seat next to her.

* * *

A week passed by with nothing of note occurring.

Brick had mostly occupied himself with photographing some of the city after being prodded by his mom. Butch was back in school and seemingly in a better mood, his regular disposition hadn't resurfaced, but he was at least contributing to their gang banter during lunch now. Bear was glad to see a little bit of life in him again, even though the quick glares he saw Buttercup throw Butch every once in a while held a completely different meaning now. He himself had mostly just hung with the gang. Blossom had opted against willingly instigating any form of communication with Brick, and retained her peace by keeping a wider distance from him in the public library. He thankfully reciprocated.

Now Boomer though, he had something to be a little excited about.

He had gotten the exact role he'd auditioned for and was going to be playing one of the leads alongside Billy. He'd wanted to tell Bubbles at the Pep Rally, but he couldn't extract a moment where she wasn't cheering with the rest of the squad. He supposed it made sense, she _was_ the Vice-Captain after all. It probably didn't get any busier than Pep Rally day for her.

So he waited for lunch, and once the bell rang he had literally zipped out into the halls and waited for Bubbles to emerge from her class so he could scream the good news at her. And he did just that, much to the passing students' chargin.

Bubbles had been amusingly shocked and ended up dragging a giddy Boomer towards the cafeteria, encouraged by the annoyed glares several students were throwing his way.

"Oh yeah!" Boomer and Billy echoed as they bumped fists over the table.

"I wonder what kind of make-up you guys are going to get done to turn you into twins," Susie snickered, sipping her soda.

"I'm definitely not going blonde," Billy said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Boomer and Bubbles echoed as the table went up in laughter.

"I heard Mr Hughes is still assigning production roles to everyone who auditioned though," one of the girls said.

"Yeah he even put up a list on the auditorium doors. Think I want to register for Hair and Make-up," a boy said this time.

"You seemed pretty intent on the lead Jamie. I don't think I trust you around my curls," Boomer said.

"Wise man." Jamie replied with faux maliciousness.

Boomer laughed in good nature.

They continued to chatter excessively about everything from the play to Homecoming, pausing for the occasional laugh courtesy of Boomer's ridiculousness.

Eventually the bell went and they all diverted to their different classes. Boomer actually had a free block now, and told Bubbles he was likely going to get some new nail polish and waved her bye as he headed for the entrance.

Bubbles beat the bell by barely a minute. She had Geometry now, a class she shared with Bunny. Her sister hadn't noticed her come in, she had earphones plugged in as she gazed yonderly out the window. Bunny had always liked window seats, ever since fifth grade.

Butch was on the opposite end of the room, near the shelves. He looked lost in thought in as well, but he still acknowledged her with a glance before flicking his eyes away. She was surprised he was early.

She plopped down on her seat and drew out her phone as she waited for the teacher to arrive. She was giggling at a meme when someone walked up to her desk.

"Hey."

Bubbles recognized the voice even before she looked up. Her eyes widened in shock, somehow she'd forgotten—though in her defense, they weren't exactly talking, at all—that she also shared this class with Kim.

"You—" Bubbles started but paused when her phone slipped out of her hands, she caught it just before it hit the floor.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle—"

"It's fokay—fine! It's okay. It's fine." Bubbles sputtered, clutching her phone.

"Oh. Um. Okay." Kim nodded, hugging her arms to her chest.

Silence followed, but Kim wasn't keen on letting it linger.

"So. I uh... I was wondering if... like—" her eyes stopped flicking every which way and focused on Bubbles. "—can we talk?"

Bubbles felt something sharp prick her chest. Was that her heart? Was that like a double-beat just now? Why did she want to talk? She was the one who said they shouldn't—

"I uh—I don't—"

"Please?" Kim cut in. "It's been so—just ten minutes. I swear."

Bubbles stared at her beseeching expression, suddenly feeling like they were being watched. Her side glances at the class confirmed this assumption as some of the students were whispering to each other with their eyes on her and Kim. Even Bunny was staring warily between them now.

"Well... okay," Bubbles caved.

"Yeah?" Kim said, and Bubbles nodded weakly. "Cool. Uh. I'll call you after I'm done with the band?"

"Sure." Bubbles assented. She briefly thought about mentioning to Kim that she'd deleted her number, but her desire for this exchange to come to an end took precedence.

Kim folded her lips in and offered a slightly awkward but thankful smile before walking past Bubbles. Said girl turned her face down and stared nowhere. In disbelief of what had just happened. The poking/pricking sensation in her chest persisted.

She didn't look at Bunny, even though she felt her eyes on her. She actually found her eyes wandering to her right, where they met Butch's. His brows were furrowed in confusion as he flicked his eyes from her to Kim and back.

Bubbles swallowed, pocketed her phone and opened her textbook. Right as the bell rang and the teacher walked in.

* * *

"That was sick guys. I think we can skip practice tomorrow," Bunny said, detaching the mic from the stand and lifting it over to the edge of the garage where their equipment settled.

"Yeah I think that's a good idea," Harry groaned, sounding seconds away from hurling out his lunch as he held his stomach and dashed for the garage door.

"Hey, can I leave my Bass here?" Kim called after him.

Harry listlessly waved an approving hand. "Whatever. See y'all later,"

"You've gotta cut down on those Bruno's burgers gringo." Pablo yelled as Harry picked up the pace and disappeared out of sight.

"Wanna go watch Noroi back at my place?"

Buttercup faced Mitch as she sprung up from the couch. "The one about Kagutaba? Hell yeah. That shit's a classic,"

"I don't even want to know what the fuck you guys are talking about." Bear shook his head at them as he slung his guitar over to his back.

"Yo P. Give us a ride," Buttercup said, ignoring Bear's comment.

"Me too. Could you take me to the park?" Kim extended.

"You ladies 'ought to start paying me. I don't remember signing up to be the group chauffeur," Pablo lightly groused, but he made his way towards his car without denying them all the same.

"Your fault for being the only one with a car dude," Buttercup said pitilessly.

"Wait," Mitch piped up, swiveling his head to Bear. "You have a car."

"No." Bear replied instantly.

"Saw that coming." Mitch nodded in noble defeat before turning back to the retreating group.

"Bye guys!" Bunny laughed as she came up beside Bear. Her friends and sister echoed their replies before they all huddled into Pablo's car.

"You one of those guys who would probably convulse if your car got a scratch?" She said to Bear.

"Naw. But the person who'd scratch it would be lucky to get off with just convulsion." He answered with an uncomic tone.

Bunny rolled her eyes. "Where are you going?"

"Probably the coffee shop. Wanna come with?" He answered, which stumped Bunny for just a second.

"Oh. I thought she was off-limits," she smirked, tossing her head at his car—that they were closely approaching.

"Only for chauffeur work. This baby is driven on my terms."

Bunny definitely thought Bear was smart. And artistic. And unique in the way he thought. She definitely thought he was different from any guy she'd ever met even though she'd known him for just a month.

So she found it amusingly ironic that—in spite of all of that—when it came to cars, he was just like any other teenage boy.

He waited for her to be seated before he hunkered in and closed the driver door. Bunny's eyes surveyed the car's equally dark interior and she subconsciously inhaled.

"It still smells... new." She breathed, grazing her palms along the dash.

"I take good care of it." Bear answered, dropping his guitar in the backseat. He twisted his key in the ignition and released the handbrake.

The engine revved, sending a soft pulsation thrumming through the vehicle. Bunny felt it in her seat and subconsciously leaned back into it.

"Seat belt."

She turned to see Bear looking at her expectantly. She snorted.

"Like either of us are going to sustain damage from a car crash or something?" She teased.

"It's insulting really, you suggesting my driving skills are so poor that I'd crash us," he retorted, then jerked his head beside her. "Seriously though. Seat belt."

Bunny smirked, but humored him and fastened her seat belt anyway.

Bear shifted the gear and placed his hand behind Bunny's headrest as he looked out to reverse. Bunny's eyes tepidly followed the line of his sinewy arm as the car backtracked into the road.

He drew his arm back and steered them down the street.

"Want to do the honors?" Bear said, gesturing towards the center console.

"Well. I'm certainly getting a lot of license here," Bunny said, grinning as she pulled out the aux cords—one of which was iPhone friendly and connected it to her phone.

"Don't get used to it."

Bunny snickered as she set up the audio and clicked on her playlist. Bear recognized the song instantly.

"You playing the album?" he asked as the soft cadence of The 1975's 'Somebody Else' permeated the car.

Bunny nodded, turning up the volume a little.

"Don't you think their music's kinda pretentious?" Bear said, dropping a hand to change gear.

"I mean. A little bit. But they're still one of the best contemporary bands on Earth," Bunny retorted.

"Hm. Maybe. Top ten though? I doubt it."

Bunny rose a challenging brow. "Want to give a count together?"

Bear dwelt on it for a second, then shrugged. "A'ight. I'll go first. Haim."

"Ou, good shout. Massively underrated. Vampire Weekend."

"Obviously. Deafheaven."

"Protomartyr."

"Gorillaz."

"I'd argue that. Artic Monkeys."

"Three Days Grace."

"..." Bunny paused, holding up seven fingers. "That's it."

"No way." Bear said, unyielding.

"Deadass. Who else?" Bunny said with a confident grin.

Bear contemplated for a few moments. "Maroon 5?"

"Come on. They're underrated to be fair. But they're not better than Matty and the boys."

"Matty basically carries the band on his back,"

"Could say the exact same thing about Adam Levine,"

"Fair enough." Bear nodded. He mused for a bit longer, but nothing convincing came to mind.

"Okay. I'll give them top ten." He reluctantly assented.

Bunny then retorted by singing along to the song just as it entered the chorus. Snapping her fingers and sliding her shoulders with a smug look on her face.

Bear snorted and shook his head as they slowed to a stop at a light.

"You're really nothing like I expected." He said, facing her.

Bunny stopped singing and gave him a questioning look. She quickly decided not to overthink it, it was only natural that he'd also been curious about her before they met.

"Oh yeah? What'd you expect?" She smiled.

"I don't know honestly. I didn't really have a base to go off of. I just, I guess I didn't expect us to... instantly vibe. Almost ingenuously. You know?"

The smile on her face grew coy as she released a soft chuckle.

"Yeah. I dig... doesn't it makes sense though? Like, since we were created together and everything,"

"What, you think chemical X has got some voodoo properties that fated us to be friends?" Bear smirked.

"Shut up I didn't mean it like that," Bunny laughed and punched him in the shoulder. "I'm just saying like—I don't know. You don't think the X has anything to do with us? Finding it easy to be friends I mean,"

"Well, I'd like to believe me thinking you're cool doesn't have anything to do with some abstruse chemical substance."

Bunny stared at him, the smile on her face broadening. Bear returned the gesture and put his hands back on the steering as the light turned green.

They drove in silence for a while. Well, not particularly silence, seeing as Bunny's enthusiasm grew with every song—as did Bear's exaggerated exasperation.

Bear found himself thinking about his first day at THS. About how weird they were both being initially. About how that weirdness had instantly evaporated during their very first conversation.

His smile faltered slightly as he remembered the conversation. Which in turn made him remember Tuesday. He turned to her.

"Can I ask you something?" He said.

Bunny's jocundity almost instantly melted at his expression.

"What's up?" She asked, a bit of worry in her tone.

"When was the last time you used your special power in battle?"

Bunny's eyes involuntarily widened in shock, but she calmed a millisecond later, hoping Bear hadn't noticed.

He had. But he didn't mention it.

Bunny thought about lying, but she had a feeling he would see right through that. "Um. It's... it's been a minute."

"Months?"

She slowly shifted her gaze away from him to stare out the window.

"Years?"

Silence.

But he noticed her hand briefly clutch around the hem of her sweater.

Bear stared at her as she refused to meet his eyes, before slowly lifting them away from her and onto the road. Were all these guys' songs about love and internalized heartbreak? He thought as he lightly frowned at the aux.

A few more seconds of quiet passed, and he decided to say fuck it.

"It's fine if you can't tell me the reason it messes with you so much. I get it—"

 _You don't._ Bunny thought vehemently.

"—or maybe I don't," he said as though he'd read her mind. "But Bun... I know what's it like to be afraid of your own mind. You've gotta face it. When closing your eyes for too long is one of your biggest worries, there's no way to hide from it. You probably won't be able to control it, our minds are too powerful for us to have complete sovereignty over them. But you have to control how you respond to it. That's where we have power. That's where we decide whether or not we're going to be slaves to our thoughts."

It was strange. The way she absorbed his words. They didn't slam into her like some sort of painful, hard truth. They fell on her, like heavy shower beads, streaming over her head, and slowly down the rest of her body. They echoed in her head. But still, she said nothing. Only hid her fists under her sweater so he couldn't see she was folding them tightly.

She just didn't want to talk about it. It... it made her feel fucking crazy. But she thought about what he'd just said, and it was obvious—astonishing—that he understood. He didn't go in depth, but he didn't need to. He just _knew_ what she was thinking, and if she was being honest, it was a little scary.

Bunny didn't know exactly how much time passed where nothing was said between them. She could only guesstimate in relation to the fact that three songs had played. She huffed then, steeling her resolve. She wasn't talking about it. Not... not today.

But, she really didn't like this sudden awkward silence, especially around him. She didn't want them to spend the rest of ride like this. So she took a silent deep breath, unfurled her fists and laid her head on headrest before smiling at him.

"So. You think I'm cool huh?"

A beat passed where he just stared beyond the windshield. He didn't turn to look at her, but his lips did curl into a smile.

"Plus, when did it become 'Bun'? I didn't know you'd gotten so—" she started but was cut of by Bear massively cranking up the volume on the radio, and she laughed mirthfully as he turned into another street.

* * *

Bubbles sat on one of the benches facing the lake. The park was relatively empty now. Save for some dog walkers and an outdoor yoga class, she was relatively unaccompanied.

Her arms hugged her pulled up knees as she tried to maintain a semblance of composure. She'd tried using her phone, but nothing was distracting enough, so she pocketed it and opted to stare at the waddling ducks. That actually brought a smile to her face, she loved seeing animals moving freely in their natural element.

Her eyes roamed to the elderly lady on the bench further to her right who was spraying seeds on the ground for the descending birds who pecked at them. Bubbles smiled ardently at the sight, then jerked as her phone abruptly chimed.

She drew it out and stared at the screen, an unknown number displayed on it. She exhaled and answered it.

["Hey,"]

["Hey,"] Kim replied. ["So... where are you?"]

["By the lake,"]

["Cool. I'll be there like, now,"]

["Okay."] Bubbles said and immediately cut the call. She stared at her home screen—well, her eyes looked in that direction, but they weren't really focused on anything—and exhaled again. Now the chirping birds sounded less pacifying and more daunting. It was barely a minute later when Kim approached her.

"Hey." The pinkette smiled.

Bubbles managed a dinky smile herself, though she couldn't hold it for long. Kim looked at the bench and felt it a good idea to sit on the other end.

"So... what'd you want to talk about?" Bubbles asked.

"Well, I uh..." Kim trailed off to laugh softly. "I know I don't really get to get to tell you how to... deal with this—" she gestured between them, "—but it would... help, if you faced me at least."

Bubbles hesitated, averting her eyes from Kim's. But eventually, she floated and veered enough to face Kim before slowly planting herself back on the bench, knees still hugged to her chest.

"Thanks," Kim smiled inelegantly. "So. How are you? How've you been?"

"I've been good. You know, cheer, choir, family. The usual,"

"Yeah, Susie told me you and Boomer sound really good together," Kim said, her tone indiscernible.

"Yeah, he's really good." Bubbles affirmed.

"Must have been so weird when he and his brothers came back right?" Kim managed a grin.

Bubbles shrugged lightly. "At first I guess, but Boomer's really easy to like to be honest. So it wasn't that strange for long."

"Right," Kim nodded slowly. "How's your dancing going?"

"Good..." Bubbles trailed off, contemplating. "I'm getting to perform at a big charity event for the city." She added.

"Seriously? That's awesome. What charity event?"

"Mayor Bellum's planning one. It's gonna be held at the Morbucks' mansion,"

"Damn. Congrats. That's huge isn't it?" Kim grinned genuinely this time.

Bubbles chuckled just above a whisper. "Yeah I guess it is. Thanks."

A brief silence followed that. Bubbles suddenly seemed very interested in the billowing leaves on the tree behind the bench.

Kim shifted, tepidly rubbing her palms on her cargo pants. "I like your hair down," she ventured, and tried not to wince.

"Thanks. Thought it was time to finally ditch the pigtails you know?"

"They were legendary though," Kim said, allowing herself a small laugh.

"Well. You know. Things change." Bubbles replied, her smile falling around the last two words. Kim's smile followed.

So then did another period of silence, where Kim looked at Bubbles who looked back but not really.

"Hey I don't mean to be, you know, but—" Bubbles said, steadying her gaze. "—why did you want to talk?"

Kim blinked at her then shook her head faintly. "Right. Sorry. It's just... I just..."

She looked up, fixing her hands on the sides of her lap. She drummed her fingers along it as she briefly looked away from Bubbles.

When she looked up and spoke, her voice was much more mellow.

"I miss you."

Bubbles didn't know what she was expecting when she came to meet Kim here. After all... she was the reason they were in this position. Bubbles was finding it hard enough to deal with the situation already. And she was sure Kim knew that. So why? Why was she...

A croaky, joyless laugh escaped Bubbles' lips as she buried her head in the company of her knees. Kim continued to stare at her, disconcerted.

Bubbles didn't need to hear this. She really, _really_ didn't need to hear this.

Kim clenched her thighs. "Bubbles... I know what I said. But I promise I didn't mean any of it. I—I know it hurt you, and I'm so, _so_ sorry—"

Bubbles' grip around her legs tightened.

"—words can't describe how sorry I am. I didn't want this to happen to us—"

 _Then why did you_ let it! Bubbles thought, shutting her eyes tighter as she felt them gathering moisture.

Kim frowned with a deep-seated guilt. She swallowed, then pokily inched closer to Bubbles.

"—I want to make things right. I know... I know I've said that before. But I mean it this time."

 _Why?_ Bubbles sniffled. _Why did she_ always _do this?_

"I—I promise Bubbles. I won't—" Kim said as she tenderly placed a hand on Bubbles' elbow.

It happened very fast.

Before Kim could blink, Bubbles had zipped away from the her. Up into the air before she changed her mind.

"Bubbles! Wait! Please!" Kim cried desperately.

Bubbles flew on, faster, aiding the wind in drying her pouring eyes as she blinked furiously. Kim's voice rapidly fading in the background of her sobs and the rushing wind.

* * *

Holy fucking shit he couldn't believe he was this nervous.

Fuck.

Butch was perched on the roof of the apartment building directly on the opposite side of the street to the Fitness Center. He had considered lighting up a joint, but guessed it was a pretty stupid idea to be high for this.

He'd talked to Mitch and gotten him to fill him in on Buttercup's plans for Saturday morning. Mitch had declined at first, wondering why Butch needed such information. That had only lasted for about ten minutes before Butch squeaked it out of him. The Ruff could be very persuasive—and intimidating—when he wanted to be.

Mitch told him that the Swim team was going to start practice from Monday, but Buttercup liked to get in early laps at the weekend before on her own. With Basketball and Swim season both looming, Butch wondered how it was possible for her to be on both teams. Though, if the hype he'd heard about her athleticism around school held any truth to it, then it wouldn't be such a shocker if a few rules were bent for her to compete for the school as much as possible.

His legs hung over the edge of the building, his hands drumming against the dingy concrete as he hunched forward. His eyes stayed dilated as he literally peered through the facility, the swimming pool specifically. It was relatively scanty, maybe only about seven or eight people were gliding through and beneath the fifty meter long pool.

Buttercup was one of them.

It was easy enough to keep up with her with his supersight, but he couldn't have imagined how awestruck the people in the water with her would have been. She bulleted from one end of the pool to the other in a flash, like she was of some variant of aquatic specie herself.

Butch briefly thought about getting caught. There _was_ the plausibility that she could pick up on the sensation of being watched, but she seemed intently focused on her drills.

He watched on silently. Trying to douse his restlessness by swinging his legs. That didn't work. So he opted to play with his power instead, watching sparks of green electricity dance between his fingers. That was more effective.

A healthy amount of time passed. Nearly an hour—in which time Butch had actually zoomed back home and borrowed a couple of cigs from Bear to calm his nerves. Or honestly just to smoke _something_. He had returned to spectating Buttercup's swimming. Her stamina was crazy, he thought as he toked on the last cigarette. He didn't know what she'd done when he briefly left, but since he returned she hadn't taken a single break. As she emerged from the diving end though, she grabbed the bars of the metal ladder and climbed out, seemingly done for the day.

Butch burnt out the cig just in time, chucking the filter as Buttercup strode over to the bleachers to get her towel. He dropped his X-Ray vision and floated down to the sidewalk.

He managed to get through the receptionist. He wasn't interested in registering for anything. He made it the pool section easily enough, though when he climbed up into the natatorium Buttercup was nowhere to be seen, but he knew she was in the changing rooms.

He perched on the nearest bleacher seat and waited, watching the people that currently occupied the pool to pass time. No more than twelve minutes passed before one of the three doors on the far right opened, drawing Butch's attention. Buttercup stepped out, shouldering a bag that most likely contained her wet swimwear.

She hadn't seen him yet. She had her Headphones on, and looked in the middle of picking a song play on them. Butch inhaled and zipped to the doorway.

Buttercup didn't look up until she began to descend the small staircase that led to the natatorium's exit. When she did, she halted instantly.

Butch didn't even have time to gauge her reaction as she immediately moved past it and pulled her headphones down to her neck.

"What the fuck?" She clamored, indignant. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"We need to—I want to talk to you." Butch blurted.

Buttercup stared at him in apoplectic disbelief. Was he fucking stoned or something?

"Are you fucking stoned or something?" She scowled.

"Please Buttercup."

Buttercup instantly sobered, practically blindsided. By the plea, or by the fact that he'd used her actual name, she didn't know. But she just now gave herself the chance to look at his expression properly.

He looked almost, courteous. His features were relaxed, not brusque, his tone wasn't demanding. In-fact it had come out in a tone she didn't know he was capable of projecting. He almost looked... _desperate?_

But that didn't do much to deter her.

Her face hardened again. "Why should I give you any of my time?"

"I don't have a good answer for that. I just... really want to talk to you."

Need _to talk to you._ Butch inwardly textured.

Buttercup's glare didn't simmer, but her stance did get less pugnacious. Her shoulders slackened as she looked at him. She couldn't place the expression on his face, he actually seemed a little uncomfortable, like he'd never spoken to someone like this before.

Buttercup didn't know why she assented, but she did. "You've got five minutes."

Butch's fists loosened ever so slightly, relieved more than she would ever know.

"Not here." Buttercup said, shoving past him.

Butch stared at her retreating form as she veered for the reception. He bumped his fist against his thigh repeatedly before falling into step behind her.

* * *

Coincidentally, Buttercup had chosen the roof of the very apartment building he'd been watching her from. He didn't mention that though, for obvious reasons.

She adjusted her bag and faced him as her feet hit the roof. Eyes narrowed, arms crossed.

"What." She spat.

Butch's thumbs rubbed his knuckles as his amenable eyes stared back at her.

"I... I remember. What happened on the playground I mean."

Buttercup continued to wordlessly glare. Butch slowly swallowed.

"I just wanted to say—" He started, then trailed off.

Say what? Where should he start? Fucking fuck this was so _fucking_ messed up. How did someone even begin to apologize for this? What was it his mom said again?

"It was fucked up, it was so fucked up and I'm _so_ sorry I did it. I was nine you know? I didn't even know just how messed up it was. I just wanted to get back at you for that wedgie," was what he thought to say, but his lips never granted the words permission.

Buttercup didn't glitch, if anything it was almost like her impatience was intensifying the weight of her glare.

Okay. Not that. No excuses.

"I never thought about how badly it could hurt you, and you have no idea how deeply I regret that. I never would have done it if I'd known better." Was another thought that never escaped his lips.

How long had he been openly staring at her now? And why was it so _God damn_ hard to look at her? Maybe that was the problem, maybe he shouldn't be looking at her.

"Spit it out! I've got shit to do," Buttercup demanded.

Butch exhaled as his eyes drifted down. "I—"

"Look at me."

Butch looked up, brows raised in surprise.

"You want to tell me something yeah? Then fucking _look_ at me while you do it." Buttercup scowled. She was angry, furious. She was fucking _boiling._ Every second she looked at him, the anger in her collected, threatening to explode through her fist.

Yet here she was, waiting for him to talk. _Wanting_ to here what he had to say about this.

Butch's wild, confused eyes sobered into something incredibly contrite. The change didn't go unnoticed by Buttercup, who arched a brow as he said...

"I'm sorry."

A silent beat passed where they just blinked at each other.

"I'm sorry," Butch repeated. "I'm so fucking sorry fuck." Butch said, running a hand through his hair, disquieted. "Buttercup, I'm not going to bullshit you. I have no fucking idea what to say. Or how to fucking say it. What I did to you was so messed up and... and that's it—"

Buttercup couldn't believe she felt her eyes soften.

"—that's it. It was a twisted, vile thing to do. And I thought it was a fucking joke. I'm never, ever going to understand how badly it affected you, but that makes it even worse. I'm so fucking sorry, you have no idea." Butch finished, or perhaps ran out of words. The latter seemed more likely the case as his mouth hung open following his last sentence before he just clamped it and dropped his hand from his head.

After a few seconds, he got himself to look back up, eyes meeting a stoic Buttercup.

The wind picked up in that moment, and Butch watched as her hair billowed around her face, eyes riveted to him.

He gritted his teeth, then allowed himself a dinky chuckle despite the atmosphere. "Are you gonna say something?"

Buttercup peered at him a second longer, before shifting her eyes elsewhere, her gaze directed at the blocks of buildings beyond them.

Butch was just about to reiterate his request when she spoke.

"So what then?" She said, turning back to him. "You want me to forgive you?"

"I mean, I guess that's up to you. I just..."

He trailed off, taking a breath. "I just want you to believe me."

Buttercup's eyes marginally widened. Butch wasn't sure about anything right now, but he guessed that might have been a good sign. He was definitely going to cater to his mom for the rest of the day.

Buttercup's gaze lingered, then averted from him once again.

"I never expected you to apologize." She said, in a tone he couldn't read at all.

Butch didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't.

Buttercup suddenly felt numb. Thinking back, she realized that Butch had been bothering her much less the past three weeks. Hell, she actually even barely noticed he was around. He hadn't hung out at practice with the band, he spent lunch away from the cafeteria whenever he could. Even in the classes they shared together he sat as far away from her as possible. Her reminder had really bothered him that much?

But then—she frowned—she had to _remind_ him. He had done something that horrible to her and forgotten about it. His apology didn't erase the damage that he'd done. But...

He was apologizing. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he looked fucking sick. Like he hadn't really slept well in a while. It was obvious that he was genuinely sorry about it. And even though it might seem reductive, Buttercup wondered just how many girls—victims—got this, an authentic, sans bullshit apology, given with accountability.

Then there was the fact that she wanted to be done with this. She'd more or less moved on before he came back here, not willing to let anybody's actions have any power over her. And here, this. This was the perfect opportunity to close the door on that memory forever.

Butch's fists had unfurled though he still didn't move. Now he was wishing he had at least one cig left.

Buttercup scoffed, and it drew Butch's attention.

"Okay then," She said, already turning to leave. Butch blinked rapidly.

"What? Okay what?"

"I hear you," Buttercup said, halting to turn and look at him, frown prevalent. "This doesn't mean that we're fucking friends now."

Butch let the sentence resonate, then nodded slowly. He would take that.

Buttercup began to float, holding the strap of her bag in place. "Hey,"

Butch looked up at her back.

"The other kid that was there that day... he's taking that shit to his grave." She said, swiveling to look at him one last time. Her tone laced with venom and warning.

"And so are you."

"You got it." Butch replied instantly.

Buttercup blinked at him, huffed, and zoomed off. Her streak fading into the sky.

Butch's eyes followed it until it dissolved into the clouds. Suddenly, the gargantuan sea of sky blue fell, the white, malleable poof beds that were clouds were suddenly wisps in his vision. He felt his back hit the concrete, and the sea settled again, the clouds reattained their dilatory, cottony appearance.

He continued to stare at the sky, arms and legs spread out on the roof. He felt the tightening at the base of his stomach slowly loosen itself as he heaved a very, _very_ heavy breath.

* * *

Bunny swept her eyes from side to side.

Where was she?

She tried to move, but she was restrained. But by what? She didn't feel any binds on her wrist. She wasn't in a cage of any sorts.

What was going on?

 _'What's going on'_ She thought. She'd meant to say it, but she realized she couldn't speak, but she could feel her lips. She could feel all the parts of her body.

So why couldn't she see any of them? Why couldn't she use any of them except her eyes?

A scream in the distance. Bunny looked up, met by an illimitable darkness. Suddenly Buttercup was floating in-front of her. Tiny. Infant Buttercup.

The five year old Buttercup stared at her pointedly. Another scream.

 _'Are those the girls? We have to help them!'_ Bunny said.

Buttercup blinked at her. "Nothing."

Bunny didn't understand.

"Nothing." She repeated, then suddenly, she screamed, her body ashing as though she was being burned from the inside-out.

Bunny screamed in horror. At least she wanted to. No sound escaped her throat. Instead, she fell. Sideways.

How could she fall sideways?

This abyss was white. Bright. Bunny liked that. It meant she could see herself now.

She tried raising her hands to her face. No such luck.

Or not.

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes flicked to the side to see Bear standing beside her. He turned and looked back.

_'Bear?'_

He shook his head. "I thought you were different. You're just a mess."

Why would he say that? She tried to talk, desperately. Not even croaks of air sounded. She was trying so hard.

Bear shook his head and flew off.

She tried to follow his streak, but now she was in-front of a mirror. She stared back at her reflection.

How did she get here? Why was the mirror so big? Why was that shadow behind her?

What?

She gurgled. Her eyes widened as she saw it. It was so much. The blood was so much. It streamed down her lips, onto her clothes. The massive fist through her torso the perpetrator. She looked down at the red smeared fist while she choked on her own blood.

The shadow ambled out of the darkness, stepping into the light that only surrounded the mirror.

Bunny watched as the figure was illuminated. And she tried to scream when she saw...

Her.

Tall. Lofty. Hulking stature. Bedecked in her horizontally stripped, purple dress. Hair swept into a tattered ponytail.

The figure opened its mouth to reveal jagged, spaced out teeth in a sick smile. It looked at Bunny through the mirror with those unfocused, purple eyes before slurring...

"Bunny do good."

Bunny gasped as she shot up in her bed, inadvertently throwing her pillow to the ground and disturbing the night lamp.

She whipped her head around anxiously. From the vanity, to the closet to the plethora of posters on the wall. She was safe, she was in her room.

The night lamp went on suddenly and Bunny turned to see Buttercup staring at her, eyes tired, but wide with worry.

"What happened?" She asked.

It was then that Bunny realized she was panting. Heavily.

She rapidly scanned the room one last time before focusing on calming her breath.

"Hey," Buttercup sat up. "What's up?"

"N—nothing," Bunny said, managing a stable voice. "Just a bad dream. Really bad dream."

"You sure you're okay Bun?" Buttercup insisted.

Bunny nodded in assurance.

Buttercup gazed a second more before nodding. "Okay. Take it easy. Need the light?"

Bunny shook her head and the night lamp went off. She heard Buttercup stretch back on her bed and pull her sheets over her head. Within five minutes her breathing had already resettled into a rhythmic pattern.

Bunny glanced at the alarm clock, the red numbers blinking; 4:37. She sighed and shifted around, but she knew she wasn't getting any more sleep tonight.

She hugged a pillow to her chest. She hadn't had one of _those_ nightmares in a while. Between the fight and her conversation with Bear a couple days ago though, she supposed it made sense. She groaned, hating a lot of things in that moment. She wondered if she should tell her sisters, after all she'd been dealing with this for years. Maybe she should tell her dad.

She shook her head.

It would be stupid to bother everyone with her problems. It wasn't like it fundamentally affected her life or something. Well... except in the case of her special power, but she'd gotten this far without it anyway, she thought as she blinked in the umbra. Thinking of the dream, thinking of the figure that had been intermittently haunting her mind since she was nine.

Since she was born.

She threw her covers off and shuffled out of bed, sticking her feet into her fluffs. Sleep wasn't an option either way, and right now she could really use some coffee.

* * *

[ _Btw. Is there a reason we only hangout in school?._ _I feel like ur not using my potential as a friend properly._ ]

Boomer hit send, smiling at the screen. A tiny bubble of dots appeared under Bubbles' name immediately.

[ _Boomer smh XD._ _Don't I still owe you a personal story before it's official though?_ ]

Boomer laughed.

[ _OMG I totally forgot! I want a story or I'm taking the heels back._ ]

[ _What heels?_ ]

[ _Don't hurt me_ ]

[ _XD. I'll see what I can do about the story_ ]

[ _U've got five days_ ]

Bubbles didn't reply immediately, so Boomer stared at his screen the for two minutes or so, wondering where she'd gone. He busied himself with scrolling through his socials for a while until he got a notif of her text.

[ _Sorry. Monster Attack. Ttyl._ ]

[ _Oh sure. Save me a scale (jk that's gross af)_ ]

Boomer threw his phone beside him and sat up. He surveyed his room, thinking about what to do. His stomach made a suggestion by growling.

"Okay, I hear you buddy." He said, rubbing his tummy. He hopped out of bed and stuffed his feet into some shoes. He quickly switched his t-shirt for a sweatshirt and zipped to his vanity, nodding satisfyingly at his hair and pocketing his phone.

He was welcomed by the euphonious sound of the piano as he exited his room. He grinned and closed his eyes almost reflexively, floating down their spiral staircase. He emerged in the living room and immediately drifted to the piano where Bear was sat.

Said boy briefly glanced up at Boomer's hovering form before returning his eyes to the keys.

Brick was here too, Boomer noticed when he opened his orbs. His redheaded brother was sprawled on the couch sofa, staring yonderly at the ceiling, equally immersed in the beautiful acoustic their brother was permeating the room with.

Boomer closed his eyes again, so he could get the full experience, so none of his other senses could disrupt the purity of the cadence. It wasn't until Bear was done that he even realized Butch had joined them.

"Dude. You should have been born in the 80's or something," Butch said from his position at the bottom of the stairs.

"More like the 1700's," Brick ventured.

"I wouldn't mind that. Only drawback is no cigs." Bear replied, standing as he closed the upper sill.

It hit Boomer then that all of them were together, and an idea sparked immediately.

"Hey, let's go out to get lunch!" He proffered, descending to the floor.

"Bruno's?" Butch smirked. Bear noticed.

"Dude don't you want to try something else? I heard of this really good diner near the suburbs," Boomer beamed.

"Word on the street is Bruno's burgers are unmatched. Why would you want to switch up?" Butch retorted with a frown.

"Bruno's isn't going anywhere. I'm down with somewhere different today," Bear said.

"Ha!" Boomer exclaimed triumphantly.

Butch heaved a defeated groan. "Fine. What fucking ever. Let's bounce then, I'm starving."

"Care to join us. Oh Fearless Leader?" Bear said, looking to his last sibling.

Brick simply reached for the remote. "I'm good,"

"Come on man. You barely get out." Boomer pushed.

"Almost like I don't like this city or something. Weird," Brick replied in a jaded tone.

"Dude, you're still on that shit? Your disgust extends to the food too?" Butch arched a brow.

"Yes." Brick said flatly.

All his three brothers simultaneously rolled their eyes. "You're really not coming?" Bear asked.

"What? You guys gonna drag me there?" Brick scoffed.

Bear assumed a thoughtful look, then turned to Butch and Boomer. They were looking at him with a similar expression. Then almost in unison, they all smirked and turned to Brick.

Brick sensed their gazes and turned to see their mischievous faces staring back at him. His eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"You fuckers better not be th—agh!" He was cut off by three pairs of hands grabbing onto him and pulling him off the couch.

* * *

Brick hit the pavement, hard. He immediately shuffled to his feet to issue his descending siblings one of his infamous, glowing death glares.

"What the hell?!" He clamored as they landed in-front of him one after the other.

"We're already here Brick, you might as well," Boomer said, looking at the sign above his brother that read; Blacktop Diner.

" _I might as well_? Like you didn't just drag me here without my volition?" Brick seethed.

"You're kinda making a scene bro," Butch said as he bounded past Brick and knocked Boomer over the head (The fuck?!) just because.

Brick blinked and looked to his left. The people sat at the window booths quickly averted their gazes from him to their food.

"Seriously man. Aren't you hungry?" Bear inquired, stopping in-front of him.

Brick glared at him. "Do I look hungry?" His stomach betrayed him with a growl the instant he spoke. He looked down at it then back up to a smug Bear who jerked his head at the door behind him.

"After you."

Brick's glare lingered for good measure before he adjusted his cap and spun on his heel, ambling for the door himself. Bear snickered and followed him.

There was a decent amount of people in there, most of them seated in the booths with few occupying the stool seats across the lengthy counter.

Butch and Boomer hunkered into the second booth to the wall, each claiming a window spot. Brick and Bear joined them respectively. A waitress sauntered over once they were seated and asked them what they would like, offering a few suggestions. Between that exchange and glances at the menu the boys made their order.

Butch watched with shimmering eyes as the young—probably in her twenties—waitress made her way back behind the counter.

"Man, how are waitresses always so damn fine?"

"Marketing," Brick stated flatly, slumping in the seat slightly.

"You're certainly in a better mood today," Bear finally voiced his thought to Butch.

"What can I say? La Flame just announced his upcoming album. I'm getting served by a fucking vision of a waitress. And Boomer's hair looks stupid, all is right in the world." Butch answered, punctuating his sentence by flicking a few sparks at Boomer.

The blonde replied by slugging Butch in the face.

"I liked you better when you were mopey and depressed," Boomer declared with a scowl.

"Fuck you." Butch retorted, tendering to his jaw.

Bear stared at his green-eyed brother until those orbs roamed his way. Once they did, he gave him a relieved, brotherly smile.

Butch returned it.

The waitress returned with their drinks. Butch slyed her a tip as he took his glass. She furtively swiped it and shot him a wink before leaving their table.

"Yo, did you see that? She's defo into me," Butch proclaimed.

"It's a waiter trick dumbass. Keep it up and you'll go home with an empty wallet." Bear affronted, sipping his Milkshake.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Boomer smirked.

"Oh suck it. When was the last time you even _kissed_ a girl cubana?" Butch riposted.

Brick more or less drowned them out as he sipped his Egg Cream. His eyes lazily roamed the diner, from the chattering second-rates in the booths to the assorted design of the floor. He looked back up when his ears picked on something that sounded like a news report. His eyes flicked to the TV above the counter and he realized he was right. It _was_ in-fact the news channel, reporting...

He frowned. "Well. Look at this."

His voice drew his brothers' attention and they looked to him, then followed his gaze to the TV.

"Damn. Santa Cruz?" Boomer said, leaning forward.

The story being reported was of the Girls engaging two monsters, keeping them just beyond the water at the docks. There was a massive ice wall—probably courtesy of Blossom—obstructing the beasts from progressing into the city as they tackled them two-on-each.

"Makes sense, there's a monster occupied island off their coasts as well." Bear said.

Townsville was just over a forty minute drive away from Santa Cruz after all, and they shared a coastline.

Butch snorted. "Lucky they're not getting the big guys with _all_ that water around 'em huh?"

"We took care of that remember? For a good while at least." Brick said.

Bear looked away from the TV, suddenly very interested in his drink.

"Hey. I know it's uh—I know we don't really talk about it but..." Boomer said, eyes halting at Bear for a second before shifting to his other brothers. "I don't know. Do you guys miss the jobs?"

"Kinda." Bear shrugged, and three pairs of shocked eyes whirled on him. He simply sipped his drink.

Brick let a beat pass before replying himself. "Yeah. I guess. It was something to do," he shrugged, eyes still on Bear.

"Pft! You enjoyed it more than any of us you filthy fucker," Butch scoffed at the redhead. "I sure as hell miss the pummeling. I need a fucking fight soon,"

Boomer's laugh was soft. "Don't jinx it."

Not a second after the last word escaped Boomer's lips, there was a hefty, resounding thud that vibrated through the whole diner. A slew of confused murmurs emanated from the diner's occupants. Then another thud followed, disturbing the boys' drinks on the table.

Butch looked out the window, then slowly turned to Boomer with a mad grin. "Too late?"

And it was music to Butch's ears when a reverberating monster roar sounded in the distance. The diner exploded into chaos, but all of the people seemed too frightened to take their chances outside and one by one—mostly—jumped and sprinted behind the counter for cover. Soon, the boys were the only ones sitting in their booth.

The four of them exchanged glances as another thud boomed, educing affrighted screams from the passel of people hunkered behind the counter.

Brick looked from his brothers to the TV, seeing the girls still intensely locked in battle. His gaze fell to the numerous poked-out heads that were staring at him. Some of them muttering their recognition.

He turned back to his brothers. Bear blinked at him. Boomer's arched brows very discernibly said So...? And Butch's grin threatened to split his face in half.

Another roar echoed. Brick groaned.

"You've gotta be fucking shitting me."

_~End: Ch. 4~_


	5. What's Stopping Us?

**Thought I was dead? Well if you did, shame on you for doubting my desire to share this story with you. No virus is going to keep us apart (Except if things get like, World War Z level bad then you fuckers are on your own. I don't know you, you don't know me.)**

**On a serious note though, like I said at the beginning, I have a whole vision to share with you guys and I'm going to push myself as far as I can get with these superpowered dweebs. Life got in the way these past months but when doesn't it you know? I just hope you guys enjoy this chapter—and the many to come—like you've enjoyed the last ones. Remember your interactions are my life-force so please comment, and leave a kudos or else I'll die and it'll be your fault :)**

**Okay okay. Onto the chapter!**

* * *

**V - What's Stopping Us? -** _Zed_

Brick couldn't fucking believe he was doing this.

"I can't fucking believe I'm doing this." he externalized, frowning as the wind rushed against his face.

Butch bellowed a cackle from beside him. "Finally, some fucking _action._ "

Boomer frowned in disgust as he and his brothers zoomed into the city, the sonorous roars growing even louder as they neared the Town Square.

"Don't tell me that thing's a lizard," he said.

Bear peered intently at the beast as he and his brothers reached it, collectively stopping to hover. He instantly saw that Boomer had been right.

The beast that crawled through the streets looked like a kaiju-reptilian mutant. It was built like a Tokay Gecko, with large yellowish eyes and a proportionately short, thick tail. It only differed from its crepuscular look-alike in its odd pigmentation, with its orange skin and purple spots.

Though, to be fair, the numerous spikes that protruded from virtually all its joints was also a distinct difference.

A bevy of citizens screeched in fear as they desperately scampered away from the Square. One particular teenage boy was rolling himself away as fast as his skateboard could take him, but he was despondently blocked by a claw that sunk into ground inches in-front of him. The boy skidded to an abrupt stop, falling over his board and tumbling harshly to a halt against a car.

He yelled in agony and painfully shuffled into a sitting position, cowering in fear as the monster's circular orbs routed on him.

Brick heaved an exasperated groan.

"Boomer,"

"On it!" he replied and zipped downwards, snatching up the civilian right as the monster dug its teeth into the car. The creature turned to see who had interfered with its meal, but couldn't even get a look in before it was punted backwards by Butch's fist and sent skidding across the concrete, digging up debris in its wake.

Boomer carried the boy—who looked all but paralyzed—a few streets down. He smiled as he set him on the ground, a safe distance from the rampage.

"It's okay man, you're safe now, just hurry up and—" he paused suddenly, scrunching his nose in a sniff before looking at the boy in horror.

"Dude. Did you _shit_ yourself?"

The boy wordlessly stared at him, then fainted.

Boomer blinked down at his unconscious form, then looked up at the sound of a bell chiming. He saw a few people sticking their heads out the door of a pizza restaurant.

"Could you guys take care of him?" he pointed at the unconscious boy and was met with confused stares. "Thanks!" he said with a smile and a Thumbs Up before flying off.

He returned to the scene and was instantly met with a projectile that was pelted towards him.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed as he dove backwards, watching almost in slow motion as a massive bone spike whizzed by, just inches above him. He righted himself in the air and looked down to see more spikes shooting off in numerous directions, right from the Lizard's body.

The beast whacked Butch away with one of its disproportionately long arms before a red streak arced under it and biffed it upwards. A purple one followed suit, materializing as Bear right in-front of the creature's belly before he roundhouse kicked it further into the air.

"Boomer! To the South!" Brick ordered from below him.

Boomer smirked and zipped towards the helplessly soaring monster. He clasped his hands together and rose them over his head, a glowing blue hue colored the insides of his palms before a massive, energy-sculpted Battle Hammer materialized in them.

He swung, and there was a loud _p_ _op_ as the weapon contacted with the beast, sending it zooming towards the docks.

"Stay on it!" came Brick's voice as he streaked past him. Bear followed, and still wielding his hammer, so did Boomer.

Butch pulled himself out the side of the building he was flung into, glaring up at his brothers' fading streaks.

"Wait up assholes!" He cried petulantly before shooting off. He followed the direction they'd all flew off in, squinting as he took note of three sudden objects that seemed to appear out thin air. He focused on the objects, and soon realized they were getting progressively bigger as he flew forward and...

Huh?

Butch halted just as Bear _whooshed_ past him, before ducking as Brick followed suit. He turned to look at their receding forms and realized they weren't fleeing, they'd been knocked.

"What the—" he started, but paused to turn at the sound of a nearing roar. The next thing he felt was his teeth clattering against his jaw as something rammed into him at blinding speeds, the pain reverberating in his head.

He opened his eyes to find himself pressed against Boomer's shield, said brother was in a similar state right beside him.

He could see it now, the reptilian monstrosity as it dove after their rapidly descending form.

"That thing can fucking _fly?_ " Butch yelled.

"No, but it leaps like _fucking King Kong_." Boomer answered as they crashed into the ground. His shield flickered off and they both lurched out of the way right as the monster stomped down on the spot they'd been in seconds ago.

However, they were still within its vicinity and the beast—with noteworthy, deceptive speed—spun and whipped its tail, knocking both Ruffs back forcefully.

Boomer managed to put up a shield just before he was struck, Butch could only raise his arms in an 'X' as he took nearly the full brunt of the hit.

Boomer's heels skidded harshly through the asphalt, slowing to a stop right where Brick and Bear were shuffling to their feet. Butch followed, tumbling through the street before he dug his fingers into the asphalt and forced himself to a halt at Brick's feet.

There was a sudden glint in Butch's eyes as he chuckled, looking at the roaring monster almost... ravenously.

"I like this one," he sneered manically and jumped to attack.

Brick swiftly grabbed his leg before he could get too far and threw him to the ground.

"What the—"

"Don't even _think_ about it jailbait." Brick said— _warned—_ with a scowl.

Butch frowned up at him, exasperated. He opened his mouth to protest, but Bear beat him to the punch.

"Seriously Butch,"

Butch shifted his glare from Brick, his eyes locking with Bear's. "Not now."

Butch held his gaze for a few seconds, before scoffing and averting his gaze away to the ground.

"Have we got that settled? Good. What are we doing about bambino Godzilla over here?" Boomer said, pointing at the monster just as it began to bound towards them.

"Well. What's your move, boss?" Butch said sarcastically, dusting himself off as he stood.

Brick reserved an eye roll and focused on the approaching beast. He watched it intently as it neared them, a new set of spikes adorning its trunk.

"In the air." Brick ordered, and they all zipped up and formed a circle right before the beast could pounce on them.

"Nothing weird about its biological composition, seems like it's just a brute," Bear informed.

Brick nodded. "Yeah, I X-Rayed it too. This should be easy enough,"

"So what's the plan?" Boomer asked.

"Bear, you keep the spikes in the air, keep them from them causing any more damage. But if you you see an opening, launch them right them back where they came from. Boomer, you immobilize it once you get the chance. If it still persists, Butch, you zap that bastard until it can't move. That's where I'll come in."

Butch rose a brow. "And do what?"

Brick flicked his eyes down. "Make some barbecue."

With that, they dispersed as the monster leaped through their middle, its claws just narrowly missing them.

Butch was quickest to round back on it and delivered a hook to its underbelly, which sent the lizard spiraling back down to the streets.

His brothers swooped in not a second later and Boomer volleyed the beast to Brick, who returned the favor. They continued to ping it between them until Bear flickered into sight right above the monster, arms raised, fists clasped.

He swung down a skull-cracking blow to its head, catapulting it to the ground. Its heavy impact seemed to shake the very foundation of the driveway below them as the mere air pressure shattered an abundance of windows, a large smoke cloud rising into the sky.

Bear hung in the air as his brothers streaked towards the beast to sustain their assault. Brick's eyes suddenly widened, he halted.

"Look out!"

Butch and Boomer—who'd kept advancing—careened out the way just in time as a fury of massive spikes whizzed past them.

Brick maintained his concentration and seamlessly dodged the projectiles himself. Above him, Bear didn't move as the spikes rapidly approached him.

He only raised his hands in the direction from which the spikes were rushing at him, his eyes completely engulfed in a purple glow. Slowly, the spikes lost their momentum and remained suspended in the air. Some mere centimeters from plowing into the numerous buildings surrounding them, a couple mere centimeters from plowing into his own body.

The smog of dust in the air cleared to reveal the reptilian's seemingly confused visage as it stared up as its floating spikes. It jerked suddenly, feeling a strange sensation around its trunk.

Boomer—from above it—curled his fingers as his shield folded around the monster. It instantly realized his intent and began thrashing violently, but Boomer already had a firm grip on it and forced it on its belly, the sides of the shield digging into the ground to properly subdue the beast.

Butch landed a few meters in-front of it the instant it was successfully restrained, an impish grin bedecking his face as sparks of green electricity flickered around him. He opened his palms—coated in the discharge—and threw them forward.

The monster howled in agonizing pain as two streaks of electricity zapped it mercilessly, a sound that did nothing but feed Butch. The Ruff cackled and spiked up the voltage, the unfortunate reptile cried even louder while it jerked violently in agony.

The end of Butch's attack left the monster completely limp, intermittently twitching with a green spark. Brick descended almost tauntingly, staring down the beast's struggling form.

He scoffed. This hadn't even been a challenge.

He took a stance in the air and inhaled deeply, bracing himself to release...

A soft growl escaped the beasts' throat, a glimmer of a last effort of defiance, but it was too late.

Brick exhaled, a blazing shaft of fire expelling from his mouth. The flames engulfed the monster whole, Butch had to float off the ground to avoid getting the melted tar on his shoes.

The monster's wails slowly faded as Brick intensified the flames, until nothing was heard from the what was now just a body of fire.

Boomer carefully descended to the monster once Brick mitigated his flames, the reptile was almost beyond recognition, with little pints of fire all over its burnt, blackened skin with holes revealing what was probably bone. He landed just outside the tar puddle, Butch joined him seconds later.

"That was actually kinda disappointing," Butch grumped, frowning at the monster in disappointment.

"At least I didn't ruin my nails for once," Boomer said, checking his fingers to make sure.

Butch deadpanned at him before shaking his head. "How are we gonna get rid of it?"

"That's not our job—"

Both of them turned to see Brick landing behind them.

"—we can leave clean-up duty to the _heroes_." he said.

Boomer hummed, darting a glance at the monster carcass. "I mean, aren't we technically responsible for it? Since we're the ones who fought the monster and everything,"

"Due to circumstance. If anything those Puffs owe us, seeing as we just covered for their incompetence."

"Little harsh isn't that?" Brick looked up, watching as Bear floated down to the monster, the arsenal of spikes hovering behind him. He flicked his hand and the spikes shot into the dead monster, impaling it all over before he willed it off the ground. He turned to Brick, pupils still hidden behind that glow. "I got it."

Brick gave him a blank frown and waved a disinterested hand. "Suit yourself."

Bear flew off, the carcass trailing him in the air.

"Wait, he's going to the monster island right?" Butch inquired cryptically.

"Don't test me," Brick growled. Butch rose his hands in surrender.

"Calm your tits bro, I was just asking." he retorted, lightly pouting.

"Uh... guys..."

They both turned to Boomer who was pointing in the other direction with a surprised expression. His brothers followed his gaze and their expressions instantly mirrored his.

They stood rooted to the ground, visibly perturbed as a flock reporters rapidly swarmed towards them.

Brick opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't get a word out before multiple mic's and cameras were shoved in he and his brother's faces.

"Brick! I'm Stella Hirsch from The Prime Post—" one female reporter said, holding her mic to his lips.

He blinked.

"—are you and your brothers making a turn-around in the side of justice?"

Brick's face hardened. "What the—"

"Do you boys have experience in monster fighting? You seem very efficient at it," another reporter said to Butch, who looked to his brothers for help.

"What does this mean for your public status? Will you be fighting monsters regularly now?" another asked Boomer.

"I, um..." Boomer stuttered then turned to to his brothers as well. He was struggling to hear anything coherent in the midst of the babbling journalists and the incessant camera clicks.

The reporters continued to bombard the boys with questions, and Brick's discomfort was slowly turning into irritation. One of the cameramen shoving the lens too close to his face was the last straw. He rose his hand to slap a camera out of the guy's hand but the lens was suddenly whipped away from him.

He now realized that some of the reporters were looking above him and his brothers, and he followed his gaze to find Bear drifting down towards them.

Bear landed just beside Butch, his eyes sweeping over the scene with an arched brow. Most of the mic's were instantly whipped at him.

"Bear! Bear! What is it like to be back in Townsville?!"

"Did you always see yourself inevitably becoming a Rowdyruff Boy?!"

"Any kind of relation to Powerpuff Bunny?!"

Bear stared at what could have been a group of rabid animals that wanted to eat him alive. He faced his brothers with a What The Fuck Is Going On look. Butch and Boomer hunched their shoulders up, stumped.

Then, both the boys and the various media teams swiveled at the sound of a sonic _Boom_ in the sky. Brick glared at the colored streaks in the air as they neared.

Blossom was the first to land, her mouth slightly agape at the sight before her. One by one, her sisters joined her, looking just as confused.

For what seemed much longer than a few seconds, they just stared at the boys, who could really do nothing but stare back.

"What is this—" Blossom started but was abruptly interjected by the reporter that rushed over to her fastest.

"Blossom! What does this mean for the Powerpuff Girls? Is this a way of informing the public of some kind of alliance with you and the Rowdyruff Boys?"

"What?"

It was Buttercup who'd replied with distaste. Blossom shifted her gaze from the mic in-front of her to her sister.

"Why would you think... we would..." Buttercup trailed off as her eyes roamed over the street. Her sisters had already taken note.

Bunny blinked at the huge crater in the street, surrounded by the slowly drying tar. Bubbles glanced over at the bulky spikes that were plunged into a few buildings.

"They took down the monster and saved the day in your absence. Was this a way of showing the public that you now work together?"

Blossom stared openly at the reporter in disbelief. There had been a monster attack, that much was obvious given the damage surrounding them.

She and her sisters could have split up and handled things on this end. Why weren't they alerted? She thought, desperately. Unwillingly to believe that the answer was the four boys staring at her.

"No." Brick's voice cut through the air, causing Blossom to come to.

All eyes—along with most of the cameras—turned to him. His inveterate scowl had returned, this ordeal had been bothersome enough. He didn't need any absurd misinformation spreading through the media.

Like he would ever commit to being this city's heroic figure in any sense of the word.

"We're not, this was purely due to circumstance," Brick said, his tone cold as he glared at Blossom. "You're welcome."

Blossom's shock tightened into anger instantly.

Brick turned away from the crew, a few civilians were starting to gather on the sidewalks now. "Let's get out of here," he said, zooming off instantly.

The reporters erupted back into life, eager to draw out more details from the rest of the boys. Butch glanced back at the girls before flying off himself, Boomer actually smiled Bubbles' way before joining him. Bear was the last to leave, hovering over the bloodthirsty journalists. His eyes found the girls, who all looked lost for words.

Bunny didn't know what she wanted to say, and she didn't get a chance to, as Bear's streak arced into the skies the second she parted her lips.

Monster fights only sparsely occurred at the Town Square, but when they did, Ms Bellum was presented a perfect view from her office window just at the head of the square.

She stared at the fading streaks featurelessly, taking a sip of her ever-present coffee before pulling the mug from her lips. She glanced over at her desk, of which under it, the Powerpuff alert button was in-built. The button she was inches away from pushing before she saw the Boys step in.

Her eyes shifted back to her window, and she chuckled before taking another sip.

* * *

"We shouldn't have done that," Brick said, frowning as he and his brothers soared home.

"It's not like we're strangers to the public eye anyway," Boomer ventured.

"You know I kinda wish I did something back there, now they've got footage on me freezing up on camera," Butch groused.

"I'm sure they still got your good side cassanova," Boomer snickered.

Butch scoffed. "All my sides are good."

"On the bright side, at least you didn't ruin the shots by, you know, opening your mouth."

Butch faced Bear. "See this?" he said, holding his fist up. "Take it, and shove it up your ass."

Boomer's abrupt laugh contaminated both Butch and Bear, who cackled along with him.

Brick continued to peer into the distance, only subconsciously registering Boomer and Butch characteristically diving into an inane argument, while Bear listlessly mediated.

Whatever forces were out there were definitely taking delight in the irony of his situation. Here he was, flying back home after taking down a monster, for _Townsville_. He thought, mentally spitting the word. Here he was after his very open, very constant detraction of this city, a city he had just saved.

His scowl deepened at that thought. No, he didn't save anything, or anyone. He wasn't any hero. He _definitely_ wasn't theirs.

If the actual 'heroes' had anticipated the possibility of more than one attack occurring today then he never would've been in this position. He repeated these attestations to himself continuously.

He wasn't their hero. He would never, ever be.

They landed at their door, and Butch bolted in, bellowing a claim to the leftover pizza in the fridge. Brick trailed him in a much more subdued manner, barely flinching when Boomer streaked past him to contest Butch over the frozen junk food.

He felt a hand on his shoulder right as he reached for the door knob, and he turned to find Bear looking at him from the bottom of the mini-steps,

"What?" Brick asked.

Bear seemed to take a brief second, then replied, "You've got to allow yourself move on man." he said knowingly.

Brick's eyes lingered on him, no traceable meaning in them. Bear simply stared back, meeting is gaze head on.

Brick's brows furrowed as he frowned, before shrugging off Bear's hand and walking into the house.

Bear stuffed his hand into his pocket and watched until Brick disappeared behind the door. He heaved a sigh before floating in to join his brothers.

* * *

"This doesn't even look real," Buttercup said, standing behind the couch.

After dealing with the paparazzi, the girls had flown home in silence, still somewhat reeling from shock.

They met their dad on the couch, a frozen expression on his face as he watched the news, that was unsurprisingly headlined by the monster battle. A monster battle that—for the first time—they hadn't participated in.

"Tell me about it," Bunny assented from her position beside John on the couch. Bubbles was perched on his other side, and unlike her sisters, there was actually a hint of a smile on her face as footage of the Boys' fight with the monster played on their screen.

Blossom was the one whose expression contrasted hers starkly, her frown deepening as the footage cut to a reporter who was questioning Brick. This was a whole new level of inconceivable compared to when she first saw him in her Art class, this was Brick in the aftermath of a monster battle that _he'd_ taken care of. He'd... he'd saved the city. _Her_ city.

Why? Why had he done it? Why did...

"Why didn't Ms Bellum alert us?" She heard herself say. "We could have split up and handled it ourselves."

"Maybe she saw them already taking care of it," Bunny ventured.

"Still. To hand over that kind of responsibility to them on a whim? What if people got hurt?" Blossom persisted.

"Well, they didn't. They were surprisingly cautious with collateral damage," Buttercup said.

"Like you would know anything about that." Bunny teased.

"Besides," Bubbles smiled. "A little help wouldn't hurt would it? Now that they're here maybe we won't have to—"

"We don't need any _help_ from the likes of him!"

Bubbles' eyes widened at the interjection, and she whirled a surprised look on Blossom. The rest of her family followed suit.

Blossom blinked, as though just realizing that she had yelled.

"Him?" Buttercup asked.

Blossom faced her and blinked again. "Them," she amended instantly. "I... I meant them."

Buttercup arched a brow at her, but said nothing as she turned back to the screen.

"This is certainly... interesting," John finally spoke.

"What is?" Bubbles inquired.

"Well. I suppose it's not... entirely strange seeing them step in since you girls were busy,"

Blossom shifted on her feet.

"But, it looks as though they've done this before."

Bunny nodded her assent. "I was going to say. They're... good."

"Where would they have gotten monster fighting experience though?" Buttercup ventured, her tone more curious than doubtful. Watching the boys tackle the monster now, she reluctantly admitted that Bunny was right.

They _were_ good.

John looked at the screen contemplatively, then suddenly stood and veered towards his lab. "Excuse me girls, I need to make a call."

"Maybe they have a training simulator? Like we do?" Bunny proffered as John closed the door behind him.

"That makes sense," Buttercup nodded.

"Why would they though? As far as we know, they wouldn't need to train for anything," Bubbles reasoned.

"Just another reason why they can't be completely trusted."

Bunny suppressed a sigh. "Blossom, you seriously—"

"This doesn't seem the least bit strange to you? There's no way they can have this kind of... cohesion without training." Blossom said, begrudgingly acknowledging their efficiency herself.

"Maybe they train so they can be ready to protect themselves? Having superpowers kind of puts a target on your head," Bunny challenged.

"That still doesn't explain why they're notably comfortable in dealing with a mon—"

"Why are you so _fixated_ on this?" Bunny cut her off.

"Because I'm trying to tell you he's _evil_ and you girls aren't _listening_!" Blossom raised, yet again surprising her sisters. But not as much as she surprised herself.

Bunny's frown simmered and she wordlessly stared at her. Bubbles stopped rewinding the news report to look at her as well. Buttercup's questioning gaze returned.

Blossom spoke before any of them had the chance to.

"Them. They're evil. I meant... they're evil."

Her sisters continued to stare. Blossom considered reasserting her stance, but that idea evaporated as soon as it formed.

The girl gave a withdrawn exhale, her palms furling as her rosy orbs shifted to the ground.

"Just forget it." she muttered, and stalked away from the living room, her sisters watching as she disappeared up the stairs.

"Am I missing something?" Bunny turned to her sisters once they heard Blossom's door shut. "Why is she bugging over this so much?"

"I don't know," Bubbles said, an edge of worry in her voice. "You think there's something she isn't telling us?"

Buttercup said nothing, her eyes riveted on the stairs.

* * *

["Hello? Frank?"] John said into the phone as he took a seat on the nearest cot into his laboratory.

[John, what's up buddy?] his colleague answered on the other end.

[Just another afternoon in the life of a single scientist,] John answered, pausing for a laugh. [Um, if you don't mind Frank, I want to ask a favor. I hope it's not too much trouble?]

Frank laughed himself. [You're my brother John. What do you need?]

[Alright. Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about... Project Amphibian.]

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and that instantly gave John his answer.

[Oh.] Frank muttered. [I um... I'm surprised you've heard of it.]

That was natural, ordinarily, John wouldn't have been aware of the covert experimentation that was conducted at the lab about two years ago. But he'd been close acquaintances with Richard, and had happened to inadvertently come across some of his secret files. He hadn't mentioned a word of what he saw to anybody else, Richard included. After all he wasn't an ALD at the time, so he wasn't even authorized to have that information.

It hadn't made much sense to him either way. Aquatic monster species? That was next to impossible. There had been numerous studies, as well as government sanctioned underwater voyages since the first monster sighting way back in 2003.

Nothing tangible was discovered, and theories that'd been coined to keep the possibility of their existence afloat were just that. Theories.

[I'm surprised you didn't deny being aware of it,] John said and attempted a casual laugh. Frank's silence suggested that the humor was lost on him. John softly cleared his throat and continued. [I need... I need you to just, tell me whatever you can about it.]

He wouldn't have needed any information on the project, had he been an ALD at the time when it'd been carried out he probably would have found it a bit extraneous. and pointless. But he had an incentive now.

It hadn't really been the Rowdyruff Boys fighting a monster that had picked his interest. He would have been surprised if they hadn't with the girls absent from the city. What caught his attention was the manner of the battle he'd watched on his television.

Superpowered beings showcasing the capability to fight aberrant, monstrous creatures wasn't particularly interesting in itself. After all, his girls had literally just punched and kicked their way through monsters until the beasts got tougher, trickier, smarter even. It was the skill, the cohesion, the efficiency in dealing with a monster that could only be achieved through training. He had a training simulator downstairs, he would know.

There was no way that had been their first encounter with a monster.

Frank finally spoke. [I don't know much, if anything about it. I had just been promoted and didn't spend much time on it with the others before it was discontinued.]

[Then surely you know where to dig something up?] John asked hopefully.

Frank's inhale was laced with uncertainty. [I don't know John that's... really an ask.]

John's face fell in disappointment. [Oh. Well. That's fine,] he suddenly paused, a somewhat mischievous expression growing on his face. [I'm sorry for bringing this to you. I suppose I may have overestimated your accessibility. I'll try asking someone el—]

[Oh shut up you smug ass. I'll see what I can find.] Frank interjected, and John felt his lips rise into an amused smirk.

[I appreciate it Franky. Really, I do.] he said while suppressing a chuckle.

[Whatever. You don't deserve me. What's got you interested in this anyway?]

Now this was where the correlation would come into question, because what did the plausible existence of an undiscovered breed of monsters have to do with the boys' prowess in monster battle? Well, on the surface, nothing. It had nothing to do with it, which is the conclusion John would have come to as well, if he didn't remember what he saw on the file.

Like all basic office documents, the file's preface consisted of almost nugatory information. The name of the project, the date of its inception, the topic of study, et cetera. What had caught his eye was the geographical area of study, where he read that there had been rumored 'sightings' of strange creatures in the oceans. He remembered it like it was yesterday, as his eyes scrolled down the page and read; Canada: Western sea region.

Cutting the story short, British Columbia was Canada's westernmost province.

[Just research.] he answered cryptically.

[Alright then. I've got a few things to catch up on. I'll let you know if I find anything.] Frank said.

[Alright. Thank you again.]

John ended the call with that and dropped the phone from his ear. He stared at the screen, currently displaying his contact list. He found himself scrolling through it, almost subconsciously, stopping at the O's. His thumb rested just below her name, the only name in that alphabetical bracket.

Could she really have anything to do with all this?

He exhaled, then clicked his phone off.

* * *

They just didn't get it. None of them. They hadn't seen him the way she had, they didn't know what he was _capable_ of.

Blossom thought, as she swiped her brush along the canvas. She'd needed to get into her own space after today's successive string events, hence the immediate decision to get some painting done. Her sisters knew she didn't like to be disturbed when she was out here in the relatively wide balcony.

She dabbed her brush into her pallet with a subconscious frown.

How could they expect her to just brush this off? Even if she decided to classify his sudden reappearance as random what about his disposition? He literally looked like he was... _scheming_ every time she laid eyes on him. Not to mention his very vocal aversion for her city. How could they expect her to trust him? What was stopping someone capable of what he was from razing a place he detests to the ground?

Blossom's frown deepened as she retracted her brush to dab some more paint on it.

His words from the other day in the library echoed in her head, but they only managed to inflame her anger. Justifying his behavior by blaming it on his... whatever Mojo or Him had been to him. But that day, that had nothing to with them and everything to do with Brick. She'd never seen either of his brothers so... inhumane.

There was only so much you could teach a child. At the end of the day, their personalities, their ideologies, that was all theirs. That was their innate nature.

And him, he hadn't done anything for any... purpose. It was entertainment, he called it _funny_. He could have killed any of those people that day, and he did it just to laugh in her crying face. So how could any of them expect her to trust such a—

Blossom paused, her musings abruptly coming to a halt as well. Her eyes settled on her painting, properly. Strangely, it felt like this was the first time she was _really_ looking at it since her brush met the canvas.

She studied the image, eyes roaming the warm orange that fell like calm wave, framing the jawline—

Her eyes widened, then flicked around dramatically as she absorbed the image totally. The engine red that was turning into a collared shirt below the chin, the minor touches above the chin that was curved down, resembling a frown she—begrudgingly—already knew too well.

And then she realized that she was painting him. She was actually painting him.

Her pallet and brush fell to the floor immediately, the hand that'd been holding them was now coated in pink energy, humming with the desire to obliterate something.

Blossom glared intensely at the painting, disgusted with herself, disgusted with him. Her fists were crying out for her to allow them wreck havoc, and she wanted to oblige, she wanted to watch that image burn. Maybe seeing him—albeit in the version of a subliminal painting—burn into nothing but ash would give her some inner peace.

She sighed a second later, acknowledging how ridiculous she sounded. Her glare lingered, but that burning intent of harm melted away from her eyes and her fists dimmed as she dropped them to her side, now immersed in a staring contest with a painting with no eyes.

She was definitely cleaning this off. Right now.

She retrieved her utensils from the floor and placed them on the small table next to her, littered with her scattered sketches and old ink jars. She pulled the canvas from the easel and placed it by the swing chair. There was a sudden whistling in her ear as a wave of fresh wind blew past the balcony.

She didn't really react to it, she only turned and let her eyes gaze at their neighbor's absolutely gorgeous garden. Her tranquility was short lived before Brick popped back into her mind, she frowned at nothing in particular, before veering and making for the balcony doors.

She slid in and instantly started to float towards the stairs. She would get her paint remover on her way back, right now she just wanted a pop tart, the one thing that didn't give her any mental fuss.

The house was oddly quiet, so it was safe to assume Bubbles wasn't home. The lack of pulsating music or thuds of her dancing in her mirror all but confirmed this.

Blossom fetched two packs of her snack, then added one more, before shoving them in the microwave. She leaned back on the island as the pastries heated, taking light breaths to try and clear her mind.

"Yo."

Blossom _eeped_ at the sudden voice and whirled around to see Buttercup leaning in the kitchen frame, arms folded.

"Don't sneak up on me like that! Gosh. I didn't even know you were home." Blossom said, relieved.

"Been on my laptop. I thought you were painting?" Buttercup replied.

"I was. I just... wanted to take a break."

"Hm." Buttercup hummed, her eyes peering into her sister. It was just then that Blossom took note of her sisters' visage. It told her a lot of things, there seemed to be anger in there, as well as worry and suspicion.

Trust Buttercup to be able to put those three feelings into one expression. Blossom frowned and slowly looked away from her, already knowing what this was about.

"Look, if this about the boys I'm not in the mood to—"

"What happened in the bank?" Buttercup interjected.

Blossom whipped her head back to her in shock. Buttercup's frown didn't twitch. "Eight years ago. The day the boys attacked three different banks across the city—" she went on, striding into the kitchen as she spoke.

"—What happened before I got to yours? What did Brick do?"

Blossom blinked at her, feeling like she had been cornered. The microwave dinged, briefly filling the silence between them. Neither turned to look at it.

"Was he the one who had the gun?"

Blossom's jaw imperceptibly tightened. "I don't really want to talk ab—"

"Miss me with that bullshit sister," Buttercup snarled, dropping her hands on the island. "You were _crying_ , and all the people in there looked like they'd just walked out of a Conjuring movie. Something happened, and it's messing you up." she finished before Blossom could get in a reproach for her cursing.

Blossom just stood for a moment, returning her sister's intense stare. Her lips thinned as she flicked her eyes away from her.

"What's the point? You're just going to say I'm paranoid like you girls alwa—"

"We're just worried about you Bloss."

Blossom's eyes shifted back to her.

"We just want you to... relax. And usually when we're on your ass about something—"

"Language." this time she was quick enough. Buttercup rolled her eyes.

"—you eventually drop it." she finished. "But you've been on this since the boys got here. I know this isn't just the 'leader' in you projecting or whatever. So what's wrong?"

Now that Blossom really looked at her, she realized that the sight of a concerned Buttercup looked a little strange. She'd never been one to openly talk about she or her sisters' issues, much less be the one opening the conversation. She was by far the most reticent out of the four of them.

That made Blossom wonder just how visibly this affected her. For Buttercup to come meet her, her distress must have been all but plated on her forehead.

She carried her elbows up and shielded herself with a hug before quietly exhaling.

"Okay."

Buttercup leaned forward, silent and attentive.

"So yes, it was before you—well before you threw Butch through the wall." she briefly paused and her frown deepened as dived back into the memory. "I didn't even have a second to think. By the time I got there Brick already... he already had the gun pointed at a cashier."

There was an almost woeful tone that carried through in Blossom's voice as she relayed the story to Buttercup. She didn't look at her, her eyes roamed aimlessly along the ceramic tiled floor. Talking about this evoked a weird feeling in her, feeling eerily similar to the post-shock emptiness she felt the day it happened.

She was never able to shake it, it had taken her a while to push the memory to the back of her head. Brick and his brothers disappearing after that incident had helped a great deal. Now, every time she looked at him she couldn't help but reflexively jerk in caution, and talking about him only brewed her worst emotions.

She felt lighter all of a sudden, the heat beneath her skin slowly simmered and even her breathing had settled, the air seemed much cleaner. It took her a few seconds to realize she had been staring at the floor for a while, mute.

She blinked, then looked up, just registering that she was done. Shock painted Buttercup's visage, and for a few passing beats the sisters just stared at each other.

"Whoa..." Buttercup finally managed. "That's... that really happened?"

Blossom nodded slowly.

Buttercup truly didn't know what to think. In all honesty she didn't really give Brick much, if any thought, hell she couldn't remember actually even speaking to him since last month. She'd gathered that he was pretty much an asshole, which was unsurprising, but hearing this from Blossom, hearing that he did that when they were children. It left her with a whole new perspective. One that she realized she'd never looked at the boys with, even when they'd been villains.

"He said something," Blossom suddenly blurted, and Buttercup snapped to. "About how he... they were raised, and who they were raised by—" Blossom continued with a frown.

"But he was _nine_ , a _child_ , and I just... what do you think?"

Buttercup blinked. "Huh?"

"Do you agree with that? That what he did can be pinned down to his upbringing?" Blossom elaborated.

The shock was still flowing through Buttercup's system, and it took her a few seconds to actually ruminate on the question.

Blossom waited patiently until she spoke. "Honestly, I don't know. This is... this is a lot to take in." Buttercup said.

Blossom pursed her lips in a flicker of frustration. "Do you think he's trustworthy? Can you even trust a person that does something like that at all?"

"Blossom—"

"I _know_ they haven't done anything but it can't be that simple, he could be—"

" _Blossom!_ "

The redhead clamped her mouth shut at her sister's voice, the edge in it taking her by surprise. Buttercup's expression had settled into a more familiar glare as she frowned at Blossom.

"Look. I understand why this bothers you so much. I do. And you have every right to feel how you're feeling but, Bloss I've literally never seen you this worked up about something. Ever."

Blossom's face softened at that.

"At first I thought you were just being cautious about them, which was fine, we all were. But it was never really about them was it? It was about Brick specifically. You almost always come back home in a bad mood, especially on Tuesdays, which I know is when you have a class with him. Ever since the _first day_ of school Blossom, this has really, _really_ affected you. Don't you see that it has too much power over you?"

Blossom had never, ever heard Buttercup talk like this, and that wasn't even a slight exaggeration. She'd never been the most insightful, or great—or even _good—_ at consoling, in any form.

"As bad... as horrible as what he did was, you shouldn't let it be a constant feature in your head. That's how I see it, most people are bound to go through something traumatic in their lives you know? It's how we respond to it that defines our character. And you—" she paused and looked Blossom right in the eye.

"—you're above this. Your character's too strong to still be shaken by this eight years later."

Blossom blinked, before her lips curved into a small smile, textured with a faint chuckle. "That's... probably the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

Buttercup's cheeks were suddenly tinted with a pinkish hue and she quickly flicked her eyes away as she folded her arms. "Yeah well, it's just because I guessed it was that incident that was bugging you. No need to get soppy."

Blossom chuckled again, louder this time. Her lips settled in a smile when she stopped.

"Thank you, Buttercup."

The girl only hummed, keeping her eyes averted a little longer before slowly shifting them back to Blossom, who was tepidly playing with a loose thread on her top.

"I'm behind you." she said, and those pink orbs flicked back up at her. "If he makes even one step out of line, I'm dropping him. Your distrust isn't misplaced."

Blossom's smile returned. "Yeah, I know. Where are the girls?"

"Bubbles is out with Robin. Bunny's at Pablo's." Buttercup answered, then followed up after a second. "You going to tell them?"

Blossom contemplated the question for a bit, then shook her head as her eyes listlessly shifted to the fridge. "No. I should put this behind me. I _want_ to put it behind me."

"Okay," Buttercup assented, she then directed her gaze to the microwave. "What's in there?"

Blossom followed her gaze. "Some pop tarts."

"How many?"

"Three..." Blossom answered slowly, taking note of Buttercup's suspiciously casual expression.

Before she could blink, the girl had zipped towards the microwave, threw it open, grabbed a tart and zipped back upstairs.

"Buttercup!"

"You owe me this!" Buttercup replied before her door closed shut.

Blossom glared at the doorway with half-hearted irritation before shaking her head and stalking over to the open microwave.

She placed the two left in a saucer and made to head back to the balcony before she suddenly stopped. Her eyes swept across the kitchen and noticed all the things that weren't in place. The table chairs weren't aligned, some of the cutlery wasn't properly placed in the holder, even the Cap'n Crunch cereal box was on the counter instead of the cabinet.

She sighed internally, still yet to understand why her sisters were so nugatory about tidiness sometimes. She surveyed the room once more. Well, she supposed it wasn't _that_ messy, she thought to herself as she very reluctantly exited the kitchen.

She wasn't even four steps in before she stopped again, swiveling her head towards the front door that was marginally ajar.

They hadn't even locked the door? Blossom frowned. Thinking back to it, what about the oven? Bubbles had a knack for forgetting to turn it off.

Before she knew it she had walked over, shut the door and ventured back into the kitchen. She dropped the saucer on the counter and picked up the cereal box.

This would only take a few minutes anyway, she thought as she grabbed a paper towel.

* * *

Boomer and Bubbles waved bye to Susie as they separated in the halls.

"So what did you say was up with Mr Anderson's wife?" Boomer asked as they weaved through the passing crowd.

"Oh, I'm not sure exactly, but she's in the hospital." Bubbles answered.

"Whoa. Is she okay?"

"I hope so," Bubbles said, her lips momentarily falling in a sad frown. "I hope Mr Anderson's okay too, he's one of the nicest teachers in school."

"So a sub's already been assigned?" Boomer said, wanting to move past the topic.

"Yeah I think Mr. Z's filling in." she answered. Boomer nodded. "Hey so,"

Boomer snapped to. "Yeah?"

Bubbles looked up at him with a smile. "I'm going to start training with my partner for the event this afternoon."

"Seriously?" Boomer lit up.

"Mhm. At Magic Moves studio every afternoon till then." Bubbles replied with a chuckle.

"Permission to come watch sometimes?"

Bubbles pretended to think. "Hm. Granted."

"Yes!" Boomer exclaimed with a pumped fist.

Bubbles shook her head with a smile. "I've gotta get to class, I'll see you later?"

"Sure. Wait hold on—" Boomer called out as she made to veer into another hall.

"What?" Bubbles turned and asked.

"There's no way the studio's actually named 'Magic Moves' is it?"

 _"Bye_ Boomer!" Bubbles laughed and continued towards her class.

Boomer beamed at her retreating form before turning to head towards the cafeteria. Almost instantly, he found himself locking eyes with Kim who was a few lockers over.

She peered at him with a look he didn't have time to decipher. Her eyes flicked beside him—at Bubbles—and back just as fast. Then she slammed her locker and spun on her heel.

Boomer watched with mildly confused eyes as she strode away.

* * *

Brick blew some pencil shavings off his drawing pad, brushing over the sketch tenderly with his fingers. He set it on his easel and picked up his paintbrush.

His eyes tepidly shifted over to his side, where Blossom was focusing on her own painting. He had a look at it and faintly scoffed.

"That shade's completely misaligned with the tone, though I can't say I'm surprised you didn't notice." he said.

A few seconds passed and he realized she didn't say anything. He looked at her again to find her position unaltered, eyes forward as she dipped her brush in her pallet.

"What's this? You've finally decided to heed my wishes and keep your baseless accusations to yourself?"

Blossom didn't even twitch in his direction.

Brick blinked, stumped. He shook himself out of it a second later and refocused on his canvas, grunting his distaste.

Like he gave a fuck if he was getting ignored by the likes of her. It would be a fucking joy to never have to hear her voice in class again.

The period went by relatively fast and Blossom was up before Brick had even gathered all his things. His eyes inadvertently followed her to the door before he ripped his gaze away with a scowl.

Blossom emerged in the busy halls and reflexively headed towards the library, clutching her books to her chest.

"Your hair looks great today Blossom." a nervous male student complimented as he walked past her.

"Oh, thank you." Blossom replied bashfully, wincing as he was aggressively shouldered aside by a few people he was blocking.

"I'm surprised you're not used to that."

Blossom whirled at the second voice, and came to a full on halt when she laid eyes on the source.

Bear grinned at her as he shut his locker.

"Bear."

"In the flesh." he said, leaning against the locker.

Blossom stepped closer to him to give people room to walk by. "This is... I don't think I've ever seen you outside class."

"Right? To be fair though, I'm usually brooding on the roof." he replied, his light grin returning when Blossom chuckled. "Off to the library?"

"Oh, yeah. I um, I actually wanted to get started on the book you gave me." Blossom answered, inexplicably finding it hard to look at him as she did so.

"Tight. I wanted to finish up on a book as well, mind having a reading partner for today?"

Blossom's eyes whipped up to him instantly. "What?"

"Is that okay? Or you like reading alone or something?" Bear followed up quickly after seeing her reaction.

"No! I mean, yes, sometimes. I just um..." she trailed off. Bear simply blinked at her. "Aren't you going to get lunch?"

"Naw. Never really eat anyway, still waiting for the day they serve actual food."

"Oh." Blossom said, then just looked at him. And looked at him.

Bear rose a brow. "So...?"

"Right! Sure, I guess we can read together." she answered. This was normal, completely normal, she thought to herself.

"Cool." Bear said, then leaned off his locker. He jerked his head away from them, indicating Blossom to lead the way.

She gave him a bashful smile and started for the library, Bear fell into step beside her and reopened some conversation, which Blossom was very welcome to.

Down the hall, paused at his locker, Brick stared with a blank expression as they sauntered through the halls. Watching as Blossom laughed at another comment Bear made.

* * *

The next week was a relatively peaceful one. On all fronts.

Blossom basically treated Brick as though he didn't exist, which was made easier by the fact that they shared just one class. Brick reciprocated this action, albeit with seemingly more ire.

Bubbles and her partner Lucas were making speedy progress in their routine for the event. Like he had promised, Boomer came to watch her practice a couple of times, along with Billy and Susie. Boomer definitely thought she was a good singer, but her dancing was on another level, it made him somewhat jealous of Lucas, for a specific reason.

Weirdly enough, Bunny hadn't seen much of Bear—besides practice—in the past week. He hadn't even spent lunch with the gang until today.

"Hey so, where have you been?" she asked.

Bear rose a brow at her, humming as he sipped his soda.

"Just like... you haven't really been around lately."

"You mean you don't get enough of me from the two hours of practice every other day?" he smirked.

"Oh my God forget I asked." Bunny groaned, giving an exaggerated eye roll. Bear snorted.

"Dude, for fuck's sake!" Mitch groaned as Butch emptied the contents of his tray into his mouth. The ruff—literally—licked the tray clean before dumping it in-front of an irritated Mitch and burping loudly.

"Charming." Pablo deadpanned.

"Next time I'm going to poison my lunch and watch you fucking foam at the mouth," Mitch groused and discarded his now useless fork.

"Good luck finding something that works," Butch cackled as he sucked his fingers.

"This shit either tastes like actual meat or garnished plastic, no in-between." Buttercup said, scowling at her meatloaf before pushing it aside and whipping out her phone.

Butch took note of this and slowly paused after licking his pinky. He looked at Buttercup, then down at her lunch, and back.

"You gonna eat that?" he asked.

The rest of the table looked at him before Buttercup herself did.

When she did look up, Butch had steeled his resolve and was looking back at her with expectant eyes.

Buttercup's custom scowl didn't twitch, neither did the light intensity of her glare. But after looking at him for a few seconds, she simply slided her tray over to him and returned her attention to her phone.

A mad grin curled onto Butch's face and he gleefully swiped the tray and placed it over his mouth.

The rest of table rapidly exchanged very confused glances, but they all seemed to collectively agree not to say anything.

"Shit." Mitch snapped to.

"What's up?" Bunny asked.

"I almost forgot. So, Joey's having a Halloween party,"

"Excuse me," Pablo beamed and whipped out his phone instantly.

"Where are you going?" Kim asked as he stood.

"To order an outfit for the party," Pablo answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world before striding away with a giddy grin.

"So what about this party?" Bear asked.

"I talked to Joey, asked if we could perform there and he's totally with it," Mitch smirked.

"Seriously? Nice!" Bunny smiled and high-fived him over the table.

"For real, there'll probably be a lot of people there." Kim voiced her assent.

"Can I be you guys' backup singer or something?" Butch asked through a full mouth.

"No." every Ravenhead member present echoed.

Speaking of band members.

"Where's Harry?" Buttercup inquired.

Like clockwork, there was a loud shriek from the front of the cafeteria the moment those words left Buttercup's lips. They all turned to the direction the doors, a second later, Harry burst through them, sprinting around tables like he was being chased by the hounds of Hades.

"FUCK!" he shrieked again and opted to jump onto a table. A familiar one as well.

"Harry, what the _hell_ man?!" Boomer groused, flicking off some mashed potato remnants off his shirt.

"Are those rats?!" Susie yelled, eyes wide and horrified as she stared at the ground.

The string of screams that followed her question all but confirmed it. And in just a few seconds, the cafeteria had completely erupted into a cacophony of both confused and terrified screams as not one, not two, but _four_ rats scampered across the floor.

Butch was nearly choking laughter while Kim and Bunny were already standing on their seats. Bear looked up at the latter with an equally amused but confused grin.

"Superpowers or not, those things are _disgusting._ " Bunny said to him, floating a little bit for good measure.

"Aren't you guys gonna do something?" Mitch said to the superpowered beings on the table.

Buttercup only cackled as she hit the record button on her phone, right as the janitor burst through the doors with a broom.

* * *

For a city that recorded the highest crime rate of any in the world only twelve years ago, the citizens of Townsville were so annoyingly chipper, Brick thought with a scowl as he looked down at the bustling city.

He raised his camera and took a shot of a billboard advertising some expensive perfume, then another of a V-shaped flight formation of birds above him.

He continued to float between the some of the lofty buildings, studying his pictures with indifference, mostly because the city admittedly did have some beautiful scenery.

At least this kept him occupied enough to ignore the fact that he was still stuck here. As well as served as a welcome distraction from school.

His scowl deepened as his mind went back to that one particular redhead, that all of a sudden thought she was above even speaking to him. He grunted and kicked that thought out of his head. He preferred it that way anyway, at least now she wasn't breathing down his neck every two seconds.

When he was done skimming through his shots and looked up, he halted in the air.

He hadn't even realized he'd drifted into the woods, but it wasn't the browned billowing leaves or the sound of chattering squirrels that stole his attention.

"You're joking."

He hadn't seen it in such a long time. It still looked in perfect condition, though he supposed much attention wouldn't be paid to an inactive volcano. The highly technological security system was probably a factor as well.

Brick's lips fell in a frown as he stared the lair down. The home to one of them, one of the deadbeats that had claimed to be his "parental" figure.

A place that had once been his home as well.

He passively stared at it for a few passing seconds, seconds that turned into minutes, the soft whisper of wind blowing past him the only sound he registered as some memories inevitably filtered into his head.

Eventually, he rose his camera, angled it enough to fit the hulking telescope that capped the volcano, and took the shot.

One was all he needed, as he saw when he inspected the photo, aesthetically captured with the sun in the background. He huffed tepidly and drifted away from the area after one last glance at the lair.

He wondered if the ape even knew he was in Townsville.

* * *

Bubbles' giggles were the only sound that faintly echoed in her dark room. It was almost 2AM and she should have probably been asleep, but Boomer just had to send her a stupid vegan meme right before she put her phone aside for the night. Now she was locked in conversation with him, wrapped under her blanket.

It didn't help her sleeping bid that he kept reeling her in either. She had no idea how they were talking about how dumb the English Language was now.

[What I really don't get is Colonel. Like why is it pronounced like that? English isn't real istg]

Bubbles shook her head and texted back. [You sound like you have a personal problem with this XD]

[Lmao I've never gotten above a C in English I'm still petty about it]

[Maybe it'd help your brain if you actually got 8 hours of sleep every now and then?]

[Jesus, that's the most mortally ghetto shit I've ever heard]

Bubbles giggled again, louder than she expected. Randomly, she remembered that she herself had a funny meme about insomnia stored somewhere in her snapchat memories.

She swiped away from their chat and went to go search for it. She scrolled through a catalogue of some recent pictures, by the time she started recognizing some she'd taken way back in July she knew she'd missed it.

She started to scroll up right when a particular photo caught her eye.

Her smile did a 180.

She thought she'd deleted them all, on all her social media. Spent a while doing it as well, but it seemed her snapchat had skipped her mind.

They were here in bulk, fluttering her June section. And beyond.

One where they were at a carnival, after Bubbles had forced her to wear a cotton candy mustache.

One where she was with the band at practice, wrapped from behind in her arms as the others made goofy faces at the camera.

Another close up where they were hugging, with Bubbles mid-laugh.

Another at the parlor, when they got their new piercings together. Bubbles looked at her, frozen in time, baring her teeth in a simper that showed off her smiley.

Bubbles set the phone down, screen first. The room went black, having been robbed of its only source of light. Bubbles blinked in the darkness, momentarily discarding her phone so she could grip her blanket around her.

She didn't need this. She... she didn't want this, she thought to herself as she sniffed.

Her eyes shot open when she registered the moist gathering in them.

"Don't cry you freaking baby. All you do is cry." she chided herself with a voice she just managed to keep from shaking. She gnashed her teeth as she sniffed repeatedly, blinking rapidly to try and keep the tears at bay.

Her phone chimed suddenly, then she remembered Boomer was waiting for her to reply.

She grabbed her phone and was already typing her reply without really looking at his text.

[Sorry Boomer, feel sleepy all of a sudden. Ttyt xoxo] she hit send and clicked off her phone immediately. Then after some consideration, she put it on silent.

She re-immersed herself in the umbra, staring into the empty space as her mind went into flood mode. She quickly shook her head clear of those thoughts when they started to overwhelm her.

After a quick swipe of her blanket's edge across her eyes, she snuggled herself in. She gave her phone a look, thinking—knowing—she should delete all of the pictures. But she just...

She placed her phone on her nightstand and turned the other way, pulling her sleeping mask over her eyes and emptying her mind.

* * *

Boomer was more and more worried about Bubbles as the week passed by, even when he visited her at practice she always looked a million miles away. When he'd asked she'd told him everything was fine, which didn't sit well with him because it was obviously a lie. He didn't want to push on it though, even if he had an idea about what might have bothering her.

Bear and Blossom hung out much more than even they expected they would, discovering that they had quite a few things in common, especially in regards to their taste in literature. Brick had noticed this, but paid it no mind. He and Blossom hadn't uttered a word to each other for the past two weeks regardless, he was glad to have her off his back.

Bunny had noticed it as well, but resisted asking Bear where the sudden friendship had spawned from. Questioning why that was something she needed to ask him anyway.

Butch and Buttercup being on relatively good terms was a double edged sword for the group. With the pro being that there was less hostility and tension in the air whenever they were in the same room, and the con being that Butch was back to his raucous, petulant self, which Mitch got the brunt of.

With homecoming imminent in a day now though, it was a good distraction for them all to look forward to.

"Are you okay mom?" Butch asked through a full mouth as Olivia stood up from the table.

"Oh I'm fine, just a little tired." she answered as she emptied her plate into some tupperware.

"Hit a rough spot with work?" Bear asked, passing the apricot juice to Brick.

"Something like that," Olivia groaned, briefly taking off her glasses to rub at her eyes.

"You sure you're okay mom? You don't need anything?" Boomer asked with a lick of worry but Olivia dismissed it with a faint chuckle.

"I'll be fine, just need a little rest," she answered as she made for the door. "You boys remember to clean up when you're done okay? Goodnight."

"Night." the boys echoed back as Olivia exited the kitchen.

"Man, I can't wait for tomorrow." Boomer beamed.

"I will never understand what excites people about performative traditions that peddle unrealistic portrayals of love." Brick said, picking at his pasta.

"You seriously need a girlfriend bro," Butch shook his head.

"This guy? Like we don't know he wishes he could date himself?" Boomer chuckled and swiftly ducked under a punch aimed for his head.

"For real though, ritualized teenage fun is stupid," Bear assented with Brick, sipping some juice.

"Man, when was the last time either of you schmutts got laid?" Butch said, licking his lips clean.

"Since when do _you_ care about shit like homecoming?" Brick arched a brow at him.

"Ever since it came with the promise of hot tail," Butch answered with a bawdy grin.

"You actually got someone to go with you?" Boomer inquired, incredulous.

"Hell no! I'm going stag," he answered, leaning back in his chair.

"Then where does the hot tail come in?" Brick asked in a bored tone.

Butch's grin grew. "You know I ain't one to limit my options."

"You would have definitely caught something by now if not for Chemical X," Bear deadpanned.

"Game's the game brother." Butch proudly winked at him.

"You know this reminds me, have you guys talked to Liam and Emily? They should be having homecoming pretty soon too." Boomer asked, adjusting to sit cross legged.

Brick paused, his face impalpably falling, but a quick scan at his brothers confirmed they didn't notice.

"Every now and then," Bear answered.

Butch hummed. "Actually haven't talked to those fuckers in a while. 'Em still single?"

"My God. Give it a rest you thot." Boomer intoned, laughing along with Butch and Bear.

"Actually, didn't you and 'Em kind of have a thing?" Bear said, swatting away Butch's hand from his food and facing Brick.

"We didn't." Brick said, instantly.

The silence that followed made Brick look up at his brothers to find them each giving him a blank stare.

Brick quickly realized his reply had come out in a defensive tone. And just as quickly, he remembered a very vital detail about Bear's question.

"We... it was nothing serious." he amended, forking a mouthfull.

"It's 'cause she's not a redhead isn't it?"

This time Boomer had to zip up to the ceiling to avoid Brick's glowing fist connecting with chest.

"Shut the _fuck_ up!" he growled up at Boomer who was guffawing with laughter.

The boys cleaned up and retreated to their rooms soon after. Brick's mood had dimmed once they'd started talking about their friends back at home, but fortunately his brothers didn't seem to notice.

He started for his closet right as he closed his door behind him, then his phone rang suddenly. He drew it from his pocket, a bit curious as to who could possibly be calling him by this time.

Now Brick definitely didn't drink any of that 'spiritual' kool aid, but he really wondered what invisible forces were out there fucking with him when he read the name on his screen.

Brick stared at his phone wide-eyed for a few seconds, that turned into a lot of seconds. He just let it ring, looking hesitant—almost _clueless—_ on what to do next.

It rang off, and his screen was blank again. He immediately switched the phone off and tossed it to his bed. He looked at the device with a void face before turning back towards his closet.

He definitely wasn't dealing with that now.

* * *

["Nah, but we're about to... shut up it's not my fault Bubbles takes like three years to get ready."] Bunny chuckled as she finished off her eye shadow.

"I heard that!" came Bubbles' muffled voice from behind her door.

["How do you guys plan to survive Senior Prom with that girl?"] Bear said on the other end of the line.

"Thinking of blowing up the school." Buttercup answered as she walked past Bunny, the latter smiled amusingly at her in the mirror.

There was a snicker on Bear's end before his voice got a little muffled. ["What?... Oh... tight. A'ight 'Bun, I gotta go. Have fun, get the spontaneous musical number on video for me."]

["Ass."] Bunny laughed and ended the call. She her face a once-over in the mirror and smiled satisfactorily.

"So—" she rose up to her feet with that vibrant smile plastered across her face, doing a quick spin and propping her hand on the waist of her long, A-line lavender dress. "—what do you think bitch?"

Buttercup turned to look at her properly as she slipped on her leather jacket. She folded her arms, a grave expression on her face as she scanned Bunny head to toe.

"In a different world, I'd probably hit." she nodded.

"What am I even supposed to say to that?"

"Thank you?" Buttercup shrugged and started for the door. Bunny rolled her eyes with a grin before grabbing her purse off the vanity.

"Bunny! _Pictures_!" came Bubbles' voice that now shockingly sounded like it was coming from downstairs.

Indeed, she was in living room when Buttercup and Bunny descended the stairs, already posing in-front of the camera being worked by a gleeful looking John.

"This ain't the red carpet yunno?" Buttercup said as she floated over Bubbles while Bunny took her place beside her.

"Not yet." Bubbles preened as she affectionately hugged Bunny who cutely pouted as John rapidly clicked on the camera.

"Where are _you_ going?" Blossom asked Buttercup, her eyes focused as she captured their sisters on Bubbles' phone.

"The Colosseum with the gang. DNX is playing there tonight."

"Remember you have to be back home by—"

"Nine. Yes. I know dad." Buttercup groaned, in a strangely reassuring way.

She threw the front door open and came face to face with a bedecked Pablo and Boomer.

"You bitches started taking pictures without me?!" Pablo raised and scurried past Buttercup. The girl barely batted an eye and returned her attention to Boomer, who smiled at her.

"Any chance you're gonna change your mind?" he asked.

"Not even if you paid me my weight in gold blondie." she answered, Boomer snickered.

"Have fun doing whatever it is they do at homecoming." Buttercup said as she walked past him, waving before taking to the skies.

Boomer slided in and softly closed the door behind him, Blossom was the first one to turn to him.

"Hey Boomer," she smiled warmly at him. "You look good." she added, genuinely. His white suit hugged his frame very well, and the royal blue interior was gratifying, down to the handkerchief sticking out of his pocket.

"Yeah?" he said, adjusting the wrists of his shirt with an uncharacteristic nervousness.

"Yes." Blossom ensured with a faint chuckle. Her eyes flicked to his hand. "Who's that for?"

"Boomer, get in here!" Bunny said, beckoning him over.

Boomer turned towards them, a smile lighting his face when he laid eyes on Bubbles. She smiled back as Boomer lazily spun the single rose between his fingers.

"Boomer."

There was something about that voice that made Boomer stop dead. He didn't know why he didn't really look at the person working the camera, or simply use the _Duh_ factor in his brain that their dad would be home tonight.

He blinked. John blinked back.

"Oh. Evening Mr Professor—I mean, Professor Utonium." Boomer managed, clearing his throat.

John gave an almost imperceptible nod and just kept looking at Boomer, with an unnervingly blank face.

Never being one to read the room, Pablo smirked. "Now who's that for?" he asked, eyes on the rose in Boomer's hand.

Boomer didn't quite know what words were anymore, he was just contemplating if zipping out the door right now would be worse than being slowly devoured by John's stare.

"Is it for me?" Boomer blinked again, and realized Bubbles was in-front of him. Her smile instantly put him at ease.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, then calmed himself. "You uh... you mentioned you like flowers and I know the single rose thing is kinda cliche—"

"It's fine Boomer." Bubbles laughed and took it from him and smoothly placed it in her ear, behind the curls that framed her face. Boomer couldn't help but notice how perfect it was in contrast to her soft makeup and her baby blue Mermaid lace dress. Even her hair was held up in a purposely messy ponytail that he could stare at for hours on end.

"You look really nice." he exhaled. 'Beautiful.' he corrected in his head.

"You look really nice too." Bubbles said, beaming thankfully. "Now come on! Let's get a few all together and get going!" she exclaimed and dragged him over.

Boomer laughed as convincingly as he could, as with Bubbles no longer in his immediate view he was re-welcomed to her father's deathly gaze, that was pokily becoming a glare.

"Carpet faces babies!" Pablo grinned and threw his leg up, Boomer caught it reflexively. And it actually worked well with both girls in-between them.

Boomer would have been amused by Pablo's energy had he still not felt like John would pull out an Antidote-X infused ray gun any moment from now.

"Dad." Bunny called. "How about taking the picture?"

John blinked, shifting his gaze from Boomer to his daughters who's expressions simultaneously said Seriously? He huffed petulantly and rose the camera for the shot.

"Big smiles." Blossom said encouragingly, positioning the phone perfectly. She got the genuinely jaunty simpers she was looking for from all of them bar one as Boomer struggled to even bare his teeth without looking at John.

He was probably going to be more conservative about randomly popping up at their place now, Blossom thought with a bit of amusement as she waited for the flash of the camera from her dad before taking the picture herself.

* * *

The Colosseum was pretty deep into the city, but it'd been easy for Bear to find it with Mitch directing him, apparently they'd been here before. According to Harry it was the best under-21 club in the city.

"Bro this place is lit I'm tellin' you." Harry beamed in the passenger seat.

"It's okay." Kim said less enthusiastically, uncapping the steel hip flask in her hands.

"As you can probably tell, Kim is one of those girls who tries to be edgy by hating everything fun." Mitch taunted.

Kim pointed at the boy behind the wheel as she took a swig. "If any of us is the edgy one, it's definitely Bear."

"You know she's got a point bro. You'd look too normal with black eyeliner." Harry said flatly.

"Eat my shit." Bear retorted with a laugh he couldn't hold, jumbled in with laughter from the others.

"I still can't believe _Butch_ actually went to Homecoming," Mitch said as Kim passed the flask to Mitch, her face contorting at the bitter taste of the alcohol.

"Does that fucker even know how to dance?" Harry asked.

"He isn't going there to do much dancing," Bear said, thought for a second, then added "On the dancefloor anyway."

"That is some strong shit." an alleviated Kim said. Mitch confirmed it with an immense inhale after taking a swig himself.

His phone started to ring.

"That's probably Buttercup." Bear said.

It was, Mitch thought as he saw her name blink on his phone.

"What's up BC. Where are you?" he answered as he passed the flask to Harry.

"Yo..." Kim said in a bit of a slur as she rested her head back.

Bear smirked at her in the rear-view. "You good?"

"What? I'm not even feeling anything." Kim retorted a little too defensively.

"Oh she's gone." Harry asserted, and he and Bear shared a laugh when Kim punched him.

"Yeah we are, we're at... Bear where are we?" Mitch asked, poking his head to the front beside Bear.

"A couple blocks around the corner." Bear answered, and indeed began to pull up when he realized they were just a few blocks away from the club now.

"Aw come one man! The mustang would give us the sauce factor when the bouncers see us pull up." Harry grumped as he swiped his mouth clean on his sleeve.

"Nice try, teen clubs don't have bouncers. Get out." Bear replied simply and switched his car off. Harry grumbled in defeat as he and the others filed out.

"Why is everything so loud?" Kim said as she arced around the car to the sidewalk, Bear in tow.

He could in-fact hear a faint thrum of music from here, but that was obviously due to his special abilities. He chuckled before uncapping his own flask.

"You can see us?" Mitch said as they huddled under the streetlight.

"Yes."

They simultaneously looked up to see Buttercup descending towards them.

"Way to be subtle." she said as she softly landed beside Bear. "I could smell this shit from ten meters up."

"Where'd you get this booze man?" Harry turned to Mitch who nearly tripped himself over before using Harry for leverage.

"Obviously it doesn't matter." Kim said with an overzealous laugh.

Bear snickered as she took his last swig and passed his flask to Buttercup.

"You're done?" she inquired, immediately putting the flask to her lips.

"Yeah, just want a buzz." he answered and lightly hissed at the heat streaming down in his chest.

"Hehe. Buzz." Harry tittered.

Four pairs of eyes whirled on him and he ceased snickering when he noticed their gazes.

He blinked. They blinked back. Then they all burst out laughing.

"I need to sit down." Kim joked, rubbing her forehead.

"Sit down? Bitch we need to go TURN UP!" Harry exclaimed then started vibrantly bouncing down the sidewalk.

The others caught his exuberance and fell into step after him as Buttercup—shockingly—emptied the flask of its last drop before passing it back to an astonished Bear.

* * *

The Student Social Committee had done a fantastic job with the Ball-themed decorations, the gym was almost unrecognizable.

It was a good decision to bring a foreign DJ too, as anyone who'd experienced last prom with Mr Colton on the disc would agree.

Initially he'd started them up with some mellow, arcadian dance music, that really only allowed them to waltz. Teenagers being teenagers however, got bored of that after a while, which the DJ noticed and instantly switched it up.

There was no close step shifting on the dancefloor now, the music was so upbeat it had numerous girls holding up their dresses so they could move freely.

Having headed straight into the crowd once they arrived and succumbing to the gymnasium's jaunty energy themselves, Bubbles and the rest decided to take a breather on the bleachers.

"I didn't know you could move like that man!" Boomer beamed, facing Pablo.

"I don't just shake this in the mirror boo." Pablo replied, making a show of shaking said asset behind him as Boomer laughed.

"How about you? I didn't know you could dance." Bubbles smiled at him.

"I know a thing or two," Boomer replied, doing a small spin and moonwalk to the first bleacher seat which elicited a laugh from Bubbles.

"Ugh. Heading to the ladies' room guys, be right back." Bunny stated with a groan, and veered towards the bathrooms.

"Told you to go easy on the punch."

"Stop judging me." Bunny replied Bubbles without turning and sped up.

"Now who is _that_?" Pablo said with a predatory glint in his eyes. Bubbles and Boomer followed his gaze and landed on a tan looking brunette, sitting by himself on the other end of the bleachers.

In all honesty, he was certainly easy on the eyes.

"How are you sure he plays for your team?" Boomer said with a teasing grin.

"Are you kidding me? That streak only sends out one message," Pablo smirked, not even looking the blondes' way anymore.

True to fact, the boy did have a thick pink streak in his hair, and his rose patterned suit was one that caught the eye.

"See you babies in a few." and he was off instantly.

"Like a ravenous shark that boy." Bubbles grinned as she took a seat on the bottom row.

"Reminds me of someone." Boomer chuckled and plopped down beside her.

"None of your brothers came?"

"Butch is here... somewhere." Boomer answered, eyes sweeping over the mass of people but not finding his brother. Which was weird considering he'd seen him dancing with a girl just five minutes ago.

Boomer paused after that thought, then remembered who his brother was. He shook his head in amusement.

"Wouldn't have pegged him for someone who likes these things."

"He isn't really choosy about things he likes, they usually just have to involve girls."

"Of-course." Bubbles said with a knowing smile.

A few beats of silence passed where they just gazed at the scene in-front of them. Bubbles loved that the ambient light was blue, the way that it enveloped the whole room gave it an ethereal feel. Or maybe that was just her bias talking, she thought with a grin.

"This place is beautiful man," Boomer suddenly said, and Bubbles turned to his gleaming visage. "I'm guessing THS goes all out for these kind of things then?"

"Mhm," Bubbles hummed a confirmation. "Clara's the head of the SSC and she's... pretty serious about these things."

"I believe it." Boomer chuckled, recalling the day he'd walked in on cheer auditions and the very openly aggravated look Clara had thrown his way for doing so. "Pretty sure you have a few great memories with school dances huh?"

Bubbles hesitated for a second, before answering. "Yeah. Yeah I've definitely got some." she said, slowly pulling her eyes from him back to the mass of buoyant dancing people on the court.

She'd always liked school dances. She liked to dress up, and make herself over, and of course she loved to dance. She'd been to every dance since sophomore year, and loved all of them.

Especially last prom.

She remembered it like it was yesterday, her lips curled into a somber smile as she recalled forcing Kim to dance with her when The Roses came on. The way they hadn't left the dancefloor even when their friends got tired, lost in each other as they waltzed.

Her smile fell at that and the memory went black, though it was more spotty than blank and Bubbles hated how she couldn't get herself to shut it off.

Boomer watched her with a somewhat wary expression. He knew his question had probably awoken some memories, and it made him feel a little guilty even though he was sure Bubbles didn't blame him in the least.

He really wanted to talk to her, he wanted her to know she could talk to him. He hated seeing her like this.

The music slowly faded out just then, before a soft cadence began to pervade the room. It was time to take things slowly again, and the students adjusted in kind, switching from the jaunty gyrating to close-body swaying.

Boomer managed a dinky smile at the tune, if anyone could set a pleasing, mellow homecoming tune, it was definitely Sam Smith. He turned to Bubbles, who was still downcast as she gazed at the sea of people under the lights.

She almost looked... envious.

His eyes flicked from her to the dancefloor and back. A smirk crawled up to his face.

He stood abruptly, catching Bubbles' attention, but before she could speak he was floating around her.

He landed in-front of her and offered his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Bubbles' eyes briefly widened before she released a small laugh that carried her disbelief.

"Boomer you... really?"

"Come on, I want to show them how it's done." he answered, jerking his head behind him.

Bubbles blinked, sitting up. Her eyes roamed over to the dancefloor, then back to Boomer's congenial smile.

She could do nothing about how it made her smile back, and it took just a second of contemplation for her to put her hand in his.

* * *

The club went into uproar as DNX wrapped up their third song. The gang had arrived just in time for their set and were already enwrapped in the concert.

It had probably helped that they'd had a few more shots once they entered. Mitch instantly directed them to someone who fixed them up with nearly another bottle's worth of vodka. Bear was now convinced that Mitch was one of those dudes who "knew a guy" nearly everywhere in the city.

He was having a pretty good time as well, but his buzz was dying down and he was starting to build up a real sweat with everywhere so compact.

"ANYONE HERE TIRED?!" DNX's lead singer exclaimed into his mic and got a collective roar of declination. "I CAN'T HEAR THAT SHIT! IS ANYONE HERE _FUCKING_ TIRED?!" he followed up, and Bear's ears actually hurt a little at the volume of the second wave of bellows.

"LET'S GOOOO!"

The mass of illegally intoxicated teenagers sprung to life again as the band dived into their fourth song. Bear had a quick scan around him and saw that Kim was closest to him.

"Hey!" he stepped closer to her and tried to project over the music. She just managed to hear him and stopped jumping as he neared her. "I'm gonna go get some air." Kim nodded distractedly and went back to bouncing with the music. Bear chuckled, certain she didn't even hear him.

He weaved through the crowd of people and emerged a few feet from the entrance, his hand was already in his pocket before he veered through the small hallway and pushed the doors open.

The illuminated street that greeted him was a breath of fresh air in comparison to the winking lights inside the building. There wasn't much fresh air itself though, he noticed, eyes flicking to a group of guys who were having a smoke just beside the club's doors.

He opted to go the other way, and luckily enough there was an empty street bench a couple of blocks away. He crossed over it—which was made easy by the fact that it lacked a rail or arms—and plopped down, finally drawing the pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

He lighted one and inhaled, before blowing the smoke into the air. The first couple of hits spun his head a little bit, which was probably down to the alcohol. His eyes lazily roamed to the other side of the street just in time to see a group of friends walking by.

They looked older than him, in their early twenties probably. His eyes almost subconsciously riveted to one in particular, a girl with her afro out. He watched with half-lidded eyes as she laughed with friends as they sauntered down the sidewalk.

He wondered how Bunny was doing, if she was enjoying homecoming. He reached for his phone and swiped it open, he entered his gallery and was greeted with the last pictures he'd received from Bunny, from as early as a few hours ago.

He chuckled at one where Pablo had his leg in Boomer's hand. His brows marginally arched at Boomer's smile, or whatever it was that was spread across his face. There were a few more of Bunny and Bubbles by themselves, they looked nice, she looked nice, he thought as he got to an individual picture of Bunny.

He lingered on it, taking a light drag of his cig as he stared at the picture. She'd swept her hair into a puffy ponytail at the nape of her neck, with hair clips pinned at the side. Though it wasn't her hair, or even her dress that garnished her appearance, not the way her smile did, he thought.

There was just something about it that made him almost... long to see it.

He continued gazing at the photo before slowly raising the cig to his lips for another drag when—

"Punk Rock ain't your thing?"

Bear imperceptibly jerked at the voice and looked up to see Buttercup approaching him. He recovered quickly.

"Naw I just wanted to have a smoke." he answered as he clicked his phone off and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Well, I need some air, could barely breathe in that place." she said as she sat down beside him, throwing her legs up and taking up the rest of the space on the bench in the process.

"Isn't this your scene? Thought you'd be used to it." Bear asked, flicking away the burnt out cig.

"Believe it or not, I'd rather be in a pool right now with all this starlight." Buttercup replied, tilting her head to gaze directly at the twinkling lights littering the night sky.

"Yeah Bunny told me you're really into swimming," he said, she nodded, eyes still upwards. "How come?"

She shrugged. "It just... helps me relax. I can't really explain it, I've just always been drawn to the water. I feel... different, when I'm twenty feet under. More in control, of a lot of things. If that makes any fucking sense."

Bear's eyes were on her as he lit his second cig. "It does." he said after a few beats.

Buttercup finally looked down at him. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "Yeah." and he meant it. What she'd just told him didn't sound so different from the reason he fell in love with music.

She stared back at him for a few seconds before a chuckle escaped her lips. "I don't even know why I just told you that." she said, lifting her eyes back up to the never ending navy sea.

"Probably the booze." Bear said.

She chuckled again. "Probably."

They fell into silence once more, this time Bear opted to toke on his cigarette quietly, letting his eyes aimlessly roam again.

"You know talking to you is... trippy sometimes." Buttercup suddenly said, and Bear looked back at her at the same time she did him.

"What do you mean?"

"Just that I—well, we've known you exist for a pretty long time, obviously. But, we didn't expect to see you and your brothers again, not for a while at least," she paused to adjust before continuing.

"The fact that we're hanging out now just like, over a month since you got here, is pretty wild." she finished.

Bear nodded faintly in understanding. "So what did you expect then?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess I thought you'd be a little more like..."

"The 'burst through the school's roof and yell villainous monologues' type of guy?"

Buttercup actually laughed out loud, which elicited a grin from Bear.

"Can't exactly blame us can you? You've got your brothers to thank for that rep." she said.

Bear managed a nod. "I guess but, I've honestly never been about that shit. Been with my mom since the first time I opened my eyes."

"True," Buttercup acknowledged, then, after a second. "You definitely got the sweet end of the stick in the parent department, compared to your brothers at least."

She couldn't find a term to define Bear's expression then, he looked at her with a blank gaze and simply took another hit of his cig.

He let out a noncommittal chuckle. "Yeah, definitely." he said, blowing the smoke away from her face.

Buttercup paused for a second, watching idly as Bear's eyes shifted away from her to a few guys who were laughing as they crossed the street.

Then, because she wasn't a coward. "Did your brothers ever tell you about them?"

His eyes resettled on her. "About who?"

"Mojo and Him."

Buttercup really respected Bear's poker face, trying to decipher what he was thinking through his visage was practically impossible.

He blinked at her, then his eyes dropped to the side, like he was in deep thought, before he nodded and said. "Yeah. They have."

They fell into another bout of silence there, but this time Buttercup didn't want to cut into it, not with more questions on the topic anyway. She imagined she was just mere inches behind the line already, she didn't want to cross it.

"They just got really unlucky."

Buttercup's eyes actually widened a little as Bear broke the silence himself. "Things are different now though, and so are they. We've come a really long way as a family." he finished.

Buttercup was the one doing the blinking now, atypically cautious about her next words.

"Yeah... I can see that." was what she opted for, and she realized she meant it, as her mind flashed back to Butch's apology to her two weeks ago. It was hard for her to admit, but the Butch she knew, the Butch she'd grown up fighting, he would have never done that. Never.

Bear released a huff as he flicked away the now burnt out second cig. "Want to head back in there?" he asked, and Buttercup understood that meant the conversation was over.

"Ugh," Buttercup groaned lightly, stretching her arms out. "Sure." she replied, floating off the bench as Bear stood.

* * *

Bubbles hoped she was still breathing normally, because every second that went by felt as though it took her breath with her... in a way she couldn't get enough of.

When Boomer had guided her to the dancefloor and confidently placed his hand on her waist she was somewhat taken aback. Boomer being Boomer however, instantly put her at ease. There was just something about the way he smiled at her, it was comforting, gratifying. It made her trust him.

So she'd placed a hand on his shoulder as their free hands came together in a slow but firm grasp. When they started moving to the song however, Bubbles didn't know how to react.

Boomer had her in proper closed position, his feet gliding across the ground in perfect motion with hers. He twirled her elegantly into a premonade position before arcing to her side as he drew her back in.

Bubbles was struggling to absorb this. With her high level of experience, she usually ended up having to back-lead her partners, especially when it came to non-competitive dancing. But as their dance wore on, Bubbles realized she was all follow here.

Boomer was same side leading here into multiple positions, his eyes constantly darting around them as a crowd of on-lookers slowly began to space out for them, all while still paying rapt attention to her. Bubbles wasn't flustered because people were starting to watch, no, that was all down to Boomer's absolute finesse.

He was moving exactly where she wanted him to. His hip motion, his sequence steps, they weren't missing a _single_ step. It was like they could read each others' next move. Every angle seemed planned in advance, which made it easy for Bubbles to adapt when he switched her position. It was so effortless.

She felt like she was floating, everything around her drowning out as her attention riveted to the boy who delicately held her in her arms.

She didn't even realize the song was coming to and end until Boomer gave her one last spin and pulled her back into closed position, their hands reflexively linking as the music faded out.

Bubbles found herself staring into those dark blue orbs of his, unsure why her chest kept rising. She couldn't pin it down to her lack of stamina, or the mysterious heat that manifested around them, whether that was even real.

He'd literally taken her breath away.

"Alright!" a lauding voice echoed in her head and brought her back to Earth. Only now did she take note of the applause they were receiving from what looked like most of the students on the floor.

In-fact, she just realized she was smiling. She'd _been_ smiling, more and more as she danced with him. Her eyes whipped back to him to see him beaming at her.

Boomer couldn't do anything _but_ smile, everything from the post-euphoria of a dance performance, to the cheering crowd to the absolutely gorgeous girl smiling back at him.

Eventually the applause simmered out and the music started up again, recapturing the attention of the students. It took another ten or so seconds for the blondes to even move.

Boomer slowly pulled his hands off her waist, but then, he noticed that Bubbles' hands had only dropped to his arms, which made her reflexively hold onto hers.

"Boomer..." she finally managed, in a voice just above a whisper. Her eyes telling her disbelief.

Boomer only chuckled with his grin prevalent.

Meters off, back by where they'd been seated at the bleachers, Bunny and Pablo stood with their mouths primed for flies, absolutely astonished.

"What did we just watch?" Pablo said, still processing the scene that had unfolded before them.

"We just watched Bubbles get... lead, in a dance." Bunny answered, still trying to digest the reality herself.

Pablo released a cackle of approval just as Bunny's thinned lips curled into a smile.

There was a sudden beat drop that cut into the song plating, before another one started up boisterously.

Bunny's eyes widened in unison with Pablo's as they turned to each other.

"It can't be." she said.

"I think it is." he grinned.

And just as they'd hoped, the lyrics to Clean Bandit's "Solo" blasted through the speakers. There were few in the school, maybe even in the whole city, who loved this song as much as the two friends did.

Still visibly enlivened, they all but sprinted into the mass, straight towards Bubbles and Boomer, who had little time to react as they were forcefully jerked away from each other into a circle of four. By the time they recognized their assailants, they picked up on their energy and vibrantly danced along, and they all happily did that for the rest of the night.

* * *

"Aaand scene! I love it! Great work everybody." Mr Hughes said, clapping as he rose from his seat. The rest of the production team followed suit as Boomer and Billy coltishly bowed to each other.

"Alright, same time tomorrow. You two, put 'em up." Me Hughes smiled, raising his hand to meet Billy and Boomer's in a high-five from below the stage which both boys happily obliged to. They bounced up onto their feet and locked shoulder-in-shoulder as everyone began to disperse.

"Dude, you're _crazy_ good for real."

"Come on man there's no way that scene could have been done without you." Boomer said, but did laugh thankfully.

"Where are you headed now?" Billy asked as they both retrieved their bag-packs from the open cabinet backstage.

"Not sure. Bubbles is probably done with practice so I'm probably just gonna go home. You?"

"Same probably. Wanted to go check on Susie but she needs a lot of rest so I'll just FaceTime her."

Boomer nodded knowingly. Susie was out sick today, Bubbles had told him in Choir.

Billy's phone rang as he hopped off the stage, Boomer floating above him.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Billy pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. "Kim." he replied before answering the call. "What's up? Are you at..."

A frown sneaked up to Boomer's lips once Billy confirmed who was calling, and he wasn't sure why. He opted to stay in the air even as they exited the auditorium and emerged in the scanty hallways.

Boomer returned a few people's greetings as they neared the school entrance, consciously trying to pay no attention to what Billy was saying below him. As a side note, he realized how people didn't even mind—or even overly acknowledge—the fact that he was levitating.

"Yeah whatever loser, see you at home." Billy said, snickering fondly as he dropped the call.

"She with the band?" Boomer asked, finally descending to the ground as they cleared the doors and strode towards Billy's car.

"Yeah they're finishing up over there too." Billy answered as he fetched his keys.

Boomer nodded distractedly as Billy's car came into view.

"Okay man," Billy said, already beginning to wave. "See you tomo—"

"Wait!" Boomer called, and Billy paused right before he could open the driver's door. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course man," Billy asked, turning to face him fully. "What's up?"

Boomer chewed on his thought for a few seconds, before asking. "What happened with Bubbles and Kim? Like... what happened?"

The ease on Billy's face melted instantly.

Boomer simply blinked at him, waiting for his answer.

"Um, I don't know dude, that's a pretty delicate topic." Billy said with a soft wince, scratching the back of his head.

The gears in Boomer's head were already spinning frantically as he tried to deduce the best approach to use in this situation.

"Come ooon man," he plead petulantly. "I'm literally the only one out of this loop, plus I think Kim's probably stab me in my sleep if Bubbles and I keep hanging out so I need to know why."

Billy shook his head with a snicker.

"I need some context to protect my life here dude." Boomer finished.

Billy was silent for a while, fingers tapping against the hood of his car as he looked at Boomer, pondering.

He heaved an exhale. "Okay... okay fine."

Boomer felt an immense amount of relief but did excellently to keep the callow grin across his face.

"I don't know all the details, just what Kim and Susie told me," he started, leaning against the car. Boomer didn't need such adjustments.

"They were dating for a while, throughout sophomore year to be specific. It was kind of a big deal since they were the first girls to date in our year, both of them are pretty popular too so you know."

"Anyway, they were... honestly they were like a perfect couple in the beginning. Bubbles was always at practice with the band, Kim was always at Bubbles' choir rehearsals. You couldn't see one without the other, they were basically joined at the hip. Very inconsiderate about PDA too, but you can imagine most guys didn't have a problem with that." Billy said, stopping to chuckle.

Boomer's face had dropped into something unreadable as Billy painted this picture for him, which was unpleasantly vivid in his mind's eye.

"So things were pretty good with them," Billy progressed. "Until like... I think they started fighting, a lot. And um... I guess Kim was usually the one instigated it, most of the time anyway. They got into that whole 'fight and make up' phase at some point and from there it—it just seemed like their relationship kept going down hill."

"Then one of the seniors last semester had this summer party, you know a 'bye I'm going to college' kind of thing, and they went. Typically got into another fight, but I think... I think probably the line was crossed that time you know? And they broke up that night."

"Bubbles broke up with her?" Boomer inquired.

"Um... nah, Kim did." Billy answered, looking a little uncomfortable as he did so.

Boomer knitted his brows.

What?

If Billy's abridged story was anything to go by, then that didn't make any sense. In what scenario would she be the one with a prerogative to end the relationship?

Well, he knew even if he wanted to know, he wouldn't be getting that info from Billy, who was already leaning off his car.

"Oh damn, that... that sucks." Boomer said after raking his brain.

"Yeah but, it is what it is." Billy assented with a shrug. Another shrug followed, this time to adjust his bag. "Can I go home now that you've gotten your gossip?" he said jokingly.

Boomer even impressed himself with how genuine his forced laugh sounded. "Yeah man you're good."

Billy smirked and exchanged what had become their signature handshake before arcing around to the car door.

"See you tomorrow dude." he said as he shut the door.

Boomer threw him a Peace Sign and stepped out of the way as Billy rode out of his parking spot and down into the street.

Boomer watched his car until it veered left into the road before dropping his hand, along with his smile.

* * *

Due to their lack of communication, in that it simply didn't exist, Brick and Blossom found Art IV going by quite fast these days. Which they were both more than satisfied with.

"Okay," Ms Wilson said, drawing the makeshift curtain on her large canvas, placed where a board would be found in most classes. "Before you guys head off, it's that time of the semester."

There was a communal groan from the class in response.

"Yes yes I know, homework sucks. Anyway, as you know, you're to construct a large body of art for your mid-semester project." she pressed on. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the use of 'art' is expansive in that context. It could be a painting, sculpture, heck I hope I'm surprised with an installation..."

Ms Wilson went on outlining the criteria for their project and the guidelines they'd have to follow. Brick subconsciously drowned her out, he didn't need a play-by-play on how to make his art. He just hoped he would get paired with someone who actually knew the difference between texture and tone.

Ms Wilson was already calling out the pairs for the project, reading directly from her notepad.

"Sammy you'll pair up with Carol. Jimmy, you'll pair up with Vanessa—"

Brick furrowed his brows. Something wasn't right. His eyes rapidly passed over the class. He counted fourteen—including himself.

Now he didn't even know the names of half the people in this class, but he did know that Ms Wilson had called out six pairs, and she'd called everyone except him and—

He turned to look at Blossom who had an equally alarming look in her eyes.

No. Just no. No fucking way.

"—and Blossom, you'll pair with Brick." Ms Wilson finished, looking extremely pleased with herself at the last pairing in particular.

The infamous redheads on the other hand, both looked like they'd just been whacked in the face with a whole glass table.

" _What?!_ " they echoed, the sheer disgust perfectly discernible in their tones, it was enough to turn all eyes on them. They glared at each other, seemingly just because, before redirecting that ire to their teacher.

"We can't—" they stopped and glared again, irritated that they were mimicking each other.

"I'm unsure of the need for all the theatrics, but I've made my decision." Ms Wilson said, sounding and looking more perturbed than stern.

The bell went and the students instantly sprung up, heading for the door.

Blossom wasn't done yet, she swiftly gathered her things and marched over to Ms Wilson's table, said teacher had an expectant expression on her face as she approached.

"Ms Wilson. Please. I respect your decision as the teacher of the class, but I am appealing to you to switch my partner. I absolutely cannot work with _him_."

"Is that so?" Ms Wilson said with a lazily arched brow.

"It's true ma'am," came Brick's voice as he stepped up beside Blossom, his beseeching yet still furious eyes on the woman behind the desk as well. "I can't have her as my partner."

"And why not?" Ms Wilson asked.

"Put simply, I'm afraid we just don't like each other very much." Blossom answered, yet again redirecting her glower to Brick.

"If at all." Brick all but growled back, returning the favor of her glare.

"Ha! Is that it? You're going to have to deal."

Both their glares immediately evaporated as they whirled back on their teacher.

"I'm _serious_!" Blossom exclaimed desperately.

"So am I, welcome to high school. Now head off to lunch, I'm expecting an excellent project from you two." Ms Wilson said with a tone of finality.

"But she—"

"Out." she cut Brick off, pointing to the door without looking as she fetched a note from her drawer.

Blossom simmered down, disconsolate. She threw one last venomous glare Brick's way before spinning on her heel and stomping out of the empty classroom.

Brick let her walk, eager to get her out of his sight. His fisted hand unfurled and came up to slap his forehead when she was gone. "Jesus fucki—"

"No cussing in my classroom Brick." Ms Wilson stated, eyes rooted to her note.

Brick dropped his hand, took one despondent look at her, and heaved a sigh of defeat.

He ambled for the door, hating everything about this place more with each step.

* * *

Buttercup pumped her tail foot on edge of her board as she did an aciddrop over the elevated concrete. By the time she'd rolled over to the crosswalk, the traffic light blinked red. The citizens who'd been patiently waiting filtered into the road, a few greeting her as she skated past them.

She threw a cordial smile back at them before spinning into the sidewalk. She was meeting Mitch at a convenience store, they'd planned to just skate around the city today, maybe get some pizza when they were done, as per Buttercup's suggestion (insistence).

Another elevated staircase appeared before her as she rounded the corner and she smirked, using her dominant right foot to speed up before flipping her board onto the handlebar and spinning back down onto the concrete. She could already see Mitch in the distance, seated with his back against the wall as he adjusted his shoelaces.

"Hey shitstick." she said as she reached him, thwacking his head before digging the tail of her board into the ground and coming to a halt.

Mitch glared up at her with one hand still on his sneaker while the one smoothed out his hair. "Bitch." he retorted.

Buttercup snorted and pulled her board up into her hands. "Where are we headed first?"

"The park's not too far off so we could shred there for a bit. The fountain area is usually empty by now." Mitch answered, tightening his lace and shuffling to his feet.

"Secured the munchies?" she inquired.

"Butch and Harry got it, they should be done now they've been in there for ages."

Buttercup's eyes suddenly went wild at the names he called. "What?"

The bell at the top of the door chimed then, and Harry strode out of the convenience store, Butch in tow.

"Just remember that's part of your share for later when your tongue's drier than a plank of fucking firewood." Mitch deadpanned at the male superhuman who was emptying a packet of Lays into his mouth.

"Bro you know they still got Ritz in there? Thought they went out of business or something." Harry beamed as he stuffed his fanny pack with some Kit Kat and Reece's. "'Sup BC."

Buttercup gave him a distracted reply, eyes on Butch who seemed to register Harry's words and put the snack down from his face.

He felt a little stupid when his eyes met hers, mostly because his mouth was stuffed and he was looking at her with puffed cheeks as a result.

"Alright, let's jet." Mitch said, starting to walk as Harry fell into step beside him. "Butch you got your speaker on you?"

He didn't get a response.

"Butch?" he turned, in unison with Harry. It was only then that they both realized neither Butch or Buttercup had followed them, and were both still in-front of the convenience store. They side glanced at each other awkwardly, but neither walked back to see what was going on.

Butch had thankfully swallowed the dissolved chips in his mouth now, but somehow he instantly missed having something to do other than look at Buttercup when he did.

There were a multitude of things going through Buttercup's mind then.

They'd talked, they'd cleared things up, they'd agreed to bury the memory.

Yet now, she realized she'd never thought about what happened after that. It was normal to see him hanging out at practice or at lunch, but she'd never quite factored in the reality that her friends were now also his friends. Like he'd said to her a while ago, they were going to be seeing a lot of each other, whether they liked it or not.

And it was almost like he could read her mind, with the way his brows were raised almost as if to say "Is this okay?"

Her expression slowly resettled into its more characteristic, almost virulent nature before...

"Try to actually get some in your mouth next time." she said, then started to walk off.

Butch blinked at her retreating form, then realized his face was littered with chip remnants, which he immediately swiped off his mouth.

His eyes shifted back to her as she neared Mitch and Harry. For whatever reason, a faint grin crawled up to his face, before he chucked the empty Lays bag and reached for his speaker as he bounded towards them.

* * *

"Archangel or Succubi?"

Bunny looked up from her cereal to find a frantic Bubbles in the kitchen doorway, holding up two outfits that matched the options she'd just listed.

The girl put up a hand, indicating that she needed to finish chewing. Bubbles deadpanned, but waited nonetheless.

"Succubi is way too predictable," she said finally, scrutinizing both outfits. "Hm. _Dark_ angel?" she proffered.

Bubbles' whole face did an "O" as she put Bunny's suggestion in her mind's eye. "You, are a genius."

"I try not to brag about it." Bunny shrugged as she took another spoon full of her Fruity Loops.

"I've got to get this customized," Bubbles said, looking to the holier outfit. " _Buttercup_!" she called, zipping upstairs.

Bunny grinned at her sisters' enthusiasm before pulling her phone off the table. She immediately checked her texts, and her grin dissolved.

She'd texted Bear a little over twenty minutes ago and he still hadn't replied. She wasn't one who took the whole 'instant reply' thing so seriously, but Bear always texted back fast.

It wasn't until recently, most notably on Thursdays when they didn't practice, that he seemed to disappear almost throughout the evening. She stared at the chat, as though willing his text bubbles to appear under the pressure of her gaze.

After she'd been doing that for close to thirty seconds, she clicked her phone off and slided it aside. Her hands could only do so much however, as her eyes continued to linger on the device.

Another minute of munching on her loops and she was ready to reach for it again before Bubbles returned, bursting through the doorway.

"Just tell me how to use it I'll put it back," she said, drawing Bunny's attention. Bubbles had a frustrated look on her face as she tried to negotiate with Buttercup over the phone.

Her expression grew into a beseeching one as she pouted. "Pleeeeaaase?" she said in her best infant voice, which usually did the trick. The way her face fell a second later though, probably indicated this was a rare occasion where it wouldn't work.

She heaved a defeated groan. "Fine, just do it tonight please?" she asked, and this time she beamed after a few seconds.

"Yay! Love you!" she thanked and dropped the phone before Buttercup could change her mind.

"Got her to help you spray the dress?" Bunny said, trying to shift her focus to her almost finished cereal.

Bubbles nodded giddily, taking the seat in-front of Bunny on the kitchen table. "Not worth spending another eight dollars to switch it. What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Bunny came to, realizing she'd been looking at her phone.

"Expecting a call?" Bubbles asked, whipping out her phone as well.

"No, no I was just..." she trailed off when something seemed to just catch her notice then. "Hey, where's Blossom?"

"Hanging out with Bear probably."

There was a pang in her stomach that she didn't understand the instant Bubbles gave that answer.

"What?"

"Yeah, don't know where though. You know I think they hang out a lot, Susie said she saw them reading in the library together yesterday." Bubbles added, eyes on her phone.

"Oh." Bunny muttered. So that's why he wasn't at lunch yesterday, she thought, feeling...

She didn't know what she was feeling.

"Come to think of it, she's never home by this time on Thursdays anymore," Bubbles said, then suddenly gasped as she lifted her eyes to look at Bunny.

"You don't think they're like..." she said, trailing off with a look that said You Know...

The feeling only swelled up inside Bunny. "Um... I—I don't think..." she said, not able to string something coherent together.

Thankfully Bubbles was in full gossip mode and wasn't catching much. "Yeah, you're probably right. We _are_ talking about miss _I'm not prepared to settle with a suitor who'll inevitably harbor high school immaturity_ after all." Bubbles chuckled, refocusing on her phone when it chimed.

Bunny didn't know what it was, but she knew whatever was churning in her stomach had completely eradicated her appetite. "I'm gonna..."

"What?" Bubbles asked distractedly, but by the time she looked up Bunny was already on her feet.

"I want to go look at our set for the party. You can never get enough practice you know?" Bunny said, she tried to force a laugh but even that got stuck in her throat.

"Oh please, you're going to kill it like you _always_ do." Bubbles touted with a smile.

Bunny did manage a dinky one in return. "Yeah." she said flatly.

Bubbles' phone chime stole her attention again as Bunny took another look at her own phone, dead silent as it laid on the table.

She folded her lips in and shut her eyes with a faint head shake, then grabbed her phone and shut it off as she made for the stairs.

It wasn't even ten seconds after Bunny exited the kitchen that Bubbles phone rang right as she was about to reply Clara's text. She arched a surprised brow at the name that blinked on her screen.

She answered. [Hey Ms Bellum. Is there a problem?]

[I'm almost starting to pick offense at this assumption that I can't casually call my favorite girls.] Ms Bellum replied.

Bubbles obliged her with a cordial laugh. [No of-course not! What's going on?]

[Well, I do have some bad news unfortunately.]

[What's wrong?] Worry instantly creeping in.

[It's nothing radical Bubbles don't worry. I just wanted to let you know that your dance partner Lucas has unfortunately sustained a very serious injury to his knee.]

[Oh my God. Is he okay?]

[Yes, yes he's fine, he's being properly taken care of. In terms of the event however, you're going to need to restart practice with another partner.]

[Wow, the event is in a month.]

[Precisely why I'm calling. I could find another partner for you, but it will take a few days to find someone as skilled as Lucas on such short notice.]

[We'll lose even more time that way. Can't I—]

Bubbles halted, her eyes widening as the thought slammed into her like a brick wall.

[Bubbles? Are you still there?]

[Yes! Yes I am.] she said with an extremely pleased smile.

[Due to the circumstances Bubbles it could be arranged for you to perform solo if—]

[No!]

[No?]

[Yes—] she confirmed, her smile widening with every word. [—I know someone who'd be a perfect partner.]

_~End: Ch. 5~_


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